On-Shed January 2015 Edition.

" Preserving the steam locomotive legacy.. and more..on film" Front Page Tyseley Locomotive Works 26th October 2014(C) Kevin Fryer Contents: Welcome..and news... Steam Tube Photographic Highlights Steam Tube Video Highlights Steam Tube Blogs (Huntley's Film Archives) 100 Trains....the journey so far.... Tornado...The Story so far... New & ReBuild News.(Hengist, Unknown Warrior.. Miller Project) B & O Railroad Museum TV: A-Z Great Railway Engineers (L) Mainline Steam Schedule On This Day in History. Melbourne's Forgotten Railway Radstock to Frome Railway Project Christian Wolmar... Around the World in 80 Railways. (No 54:Bulgaria/Greece) WATTRAIN , APHTRO 30742 Charters Stafford Railwayana Auctions News Welcome..and news... A warm welcome to this last edition of "On Shed" for 2014. And an especial welcome to those who have just recently joined "Steam Tube - The Home of Steam on the Net" There are now  1,482 members, who can view 30,373 photographic images and 6,477 videos.... all for the princely sum of £0!!! Of course, we know that you will know that there are costs associated with running a site such as this..mainly internet and platform charges.. so it is much appreciated when donations are received... We realize that such donations show your appreciation, so "Thank you" in advance!!  The usual features are contained in this year end edition...so again, a word of thanks to those of you who have made some excellent photographic and video contributions. We have been joined by those whose filming has taken them to Germany, Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, China...and the UK. Excellent work all round, we think. Steam Tube is fast approaching its 6th anniversary (16th January 2009 was the start date), so don't be too surprised if the layout or arrangements of..and for.. the blog undergo something of a facelift! The features you have got used to here and in The Railway Chronicle will continue, keeping abreast of all things heritage and present...and future. So, enjoy the latest edition of "On Shed"! Steam Tube Photographic Highlights Steam Tube Video Highlights Steam Tube Blogs Huntley Film Archives. Huntley Film Archives was established in 1985.www.steamtu.be and "On Shed" is grateful to Mr Robert Dewar at Huntley Film Archives for his kind permission to show relevant clips to our growing readership. DVDs of similar material can be obtained via the Huntley Film Archives webshop........continue...here.. Here, by way of a treat(!!) is a film from the collection of out takes from the making of the celebrated film "The Titfield Thunderbolt" The Titfield Thunderbolt Outtakes, 1950's - Film 17181

Out takes from Ealing comedy 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' Somerset countryside. Lympley Stoke to Camerton. Midford village. Bedford OB bus. Pans to 1400 tank engine. Somerset & Dorset on top - viaduct, GWR below. Viaduct is called Midford. (still there although both railways have gone) Idea of film is to show that we are not in the world of mainline expresses but in that of a branch line. So to pan down from express mainline on the top of the viaduct to a branch line train below, cameraman can hear the train but you can't. Pan down but the local train is too late. it takes three hours to re-do the shot and get the trains back into position. Take Two. The cameraman can hear the train coming again. He's waiting. Pans down and this time, it's there. Run down the line. Abandoned for passengers in 1925 and rails taken up in 1952 after this film. Station of Titfield is actually Monckton Combe. Engine "Lion" Liverpool Preservation Society owned it. mainline at Bathampton.

Tornado...The Story so far... Steam Tube's Log of Tornado's Career to date..... 100 Trains....the journey so far.... Kindle version available now. Join Iain on his virtual train trip  Greatest Railway Journeys in the World.  .....HERE and here...http://www.100trains.com/ New & ReBuild News.(Hengist, Unknown Warrior.. Miller Project) Latest progress on P2's Facebook page..... "Hengist" - latest news here.. LMS Patriot Project

2014 review - HELP US FINISH THE JOB

We have now reached a major turning point in the construction of 'The Unknown Warrior's' chassis, with a change in emphasis from manufacture to assembly. Much still needs to be done but with the last of the major castings now complete we are turning our attentions to the myriad of smaller parts which will be required.

• Read more about 2014 review - HELP US FINISH THE JOB

Project Miller 41001 Returns!. Project Miller Wins Award! Project Miller has been announced as winner of the MORTON’S MEDIA (RAIL EXPRESS MAGAZINE) MODERN TRACTION AWARD for “The overhaul of the prototypes of arguably the most successful form of British traction ever, in the form of the prototype High Speed Train power car, which has recently hauled a production Class 125 set on the Great Central Railway (Nottingham).” Denmark Help The Danish Railway Series & D 825 "Dagmar" Organizer: The Danish Railway Series Beneficiary: Supporting the restoration of D 825 and The TDRS The Danish Railway Series want to support the restoration by donating 60 copies of two books that the TDRS are making for this project. The problem is that the TDRS can't afford the books.. - See more: HERE US Union Pacific Big Boy 4014 Latest News..and Video..HERE.  The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) T1 Steam Locomotive Trust Latest News.... Chesapeake & Ohio 2-6-6-2. Photo courtesy B & O Museum Large Steam Locomotive of the East #1309 is transferred to Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for restoration and operation Latest News...on Facebook AustraliaProject 6029 (Beyer Garratt 6029 ex-NSWGR) Up to date information regarding the restoration of steam locomotive 6029 in Canberra, ACT Australia. Beyer Garratt 6029 is an EX NSWGR locomotive and was a member of the largest, and most powerful class in Australia. The restoration to full working order is being undertaken by volunteers in Canberra. Latest news at: http://blog.project6029.com/ Latest News B & O Railroad Museum TV: Each month the B&O TV Network, starring actor Michael Gross, spotlights a moment in B&O Railroad history. Take a journey into the past and view one or all of these episodes posted on YouTube. A-Z Great Railway Engineers (M & N) William K. MacCurdy, (US)who developed the Hydra-Cushion in 1954 to ease stress on freight cars for Southern Pacific. William K. MacCurdy was an American engineer at SRI International that developed the Hydra-Cushion freight car for Southern Pacific in 1954. Cushioned rail cars based on his design are still the standard.

MacCurdy joined SRI International in 1952 with a background in shipbuilding; he was previously a naval architect. Donald J. Russell connected Southern Pacific with SRI in 1954, and asked them to design a new rail coupling; in particular, Southern Pacific was concerned with the draft gear, the part that connects the couplings to the rolling stock In MacCurdy's design, the coupler has an extended connection to the center of the railway car, combined with interleaved fingers at each end of the railway car helping to absorb some of the effects of acceleration.

The theory was tested in December 1954 by modifying an existing car with the technology (initially known as the "Hydra-friction") in Sacramento and placing it into relatively difficult service; the car greatly exceeded expectations. The second iteration, bearing the more widely known name of Hydra-Cushion, was introduced in April 1956, and Southern Pacific built and deployed an additional 350 of these cars in summer 1957. The average damage to freight was reduced to 1/25th of previous values.

MacCurdy left SRI to be the chief research engineer in the Transportation Equipment Division of Evans Products Company, which was licensed some of the proprietary information about the Hydra-Cushion from Southern Pacific in 1957.

In 1964, MacCurdy and Southern Pacific's William E. Thomford received the Franklin Institute's 1964 George R. Henderson Medal for achievements "in the field of railway impact control and associated car design, with resulting benefits in reducing lading and rolling stock damage. In 1967, Railway Age noted that "The 10th anniversary of the cushion-underframe... has to be one of the most significant anniversaries in the annals of the industry."

Joseph Anton von Maffei (GER) German steam locomotive manufacturer .

 Joseph Anton von Maffei (4 September 1790 – 1 September 1870) was a German industrialist. Together with Joseph von Baader (1763–1835) and Baron Theodor Freiherr von Cramer-Klett (1817–1884), Maffei was one of the three most important railway pioneers in Bavaria.

In 1836 Maffei founded the locomotive firm of J. A. Maffei in the English Garden in Munich. His desire was to make Bavaria competitive in the field of industrial engines. From small beginnings, a locomotive factory of world renown arose. Maffei, amongst others, also championed the construction of the railway line from Munich to Augsburg and supported Johann Ulrich Himbsel in building the private railway from Munich to Starnberg. In 1864 the 500th locomotive was delivered.

Joseph Anton Ritter von Maffei died on 1 September 1870. His grave may still be found today at the Old Southern Cemetery (Alter Südfriedhof) in Munich. The locomotive works he founded survived him by some 60 years, but in 1930 J. A. Maffei went bankrupt and was amalgamated with the firm of Krauss in 1930 to form Krauss-Maffei. Today, Villa Maffei in Feldafing (on Lake Starnberg) houses a museum and exhibitions. Anatole Mallet,(SWTZ) Mallet locomotive Courtesy: Grace's Guide.

Jules T. Anatole Mallet (23 May 1837 – 10 October 1919) was a Swiss mechanical engineer, who was the inventor of the first successful compound system for a railway steam locomotive, patented in 1874.[1]

In 1876 he introduced a series of small 2-cylinder compound 0-4-2 tanks for the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz Railway in France. He subsequently designed an articulated compound system with a rigid chassis at the rear carrying two high-pressure cylinders plus two low-pressure ones mounted on an articulated front driving truck, patented in 1884[1] with full rights granted in 1885.[2] This was first used for a series of 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) narrow gauge locomotives specially built by the Decauville Company in 1888 for the Paris Exposition of 1889.[2] This arrangement became known as the Mallet locomotive.

He was awarded the Elliott Cresson Medal of The Franklin Institute in 1908. The Mallet Locomotive is a type of articulated locomotive, invented by a Swiss engineer named Anatole Mallet (and thus, the name is properly pronounced in the French manner, "Mallay"). In the Mallet locomotive, there are two powered trucks. The rear is rigidly attached to the main body and boiler of the locomotive, while the front powered truck is attached to the rear by a hinge, so that it may swing from side to side. The front end of the boiler rests upon a sliding bearing on the swinging front truck. Mallet's original design was a compound locomotive, in which the steam is used twice, first in a set of high-pressure cylinders, and then in a set of low-pressure cylinders. This confers certain thermodynamic advantages, and also worked well with the Mallet design. Steam was fed from the steam dome down to the aft, high-pressure cylinders - the exhaust steam from those being fed forwards in a pipe with a swivelling joint - to the forward, low-pressure cylinders. The exhaust steam from the larger low-pressure cylinders is exhausted through a slit in the sliding bearing in the top of the swivelling truck and thus to the smokebox above, and the blastpipe and chimney. Purists consider only compound locomotives to be true Mallets, but especially in the United States many non-compound ('simple') locomotives of a similar pattern were built. Unfortunately no good name for this design ever emerged, and they tend to get called 'Mallets' nonetheless, or 'articulated' which is a little too non-specific. Unlike the case of the rigidly-framed locomotive, the Mallet design is more complex to build simple than compound, since then steam pipes and exhaust piping are needed for both pairs of cylinders. Mallet's original design was intended to allow a medium-size locomotive to better negotiate the tight curves of a narrow gauge railway, but the Mallet design grew to enormous size in the United States, where it was used to permit locomotives to be built to sizes impossible with a single, rigid frame. The 4-8-8-4 "Big Boy" type used by Union Pacific Railroad is generally regarded as the largest steam locomotive in the world. However outside North America, the Mallet type had generally been superseded by the Garratt locomotive by the mid 1920s.

Sylvester Marsh, (US) first mountain railway in the world with a rack system

..designed and built the Mount Washington Cog Railway.

While ascending Mount Washington in 1852, he lost his way, and then conceived the idea of building a railroad to its summit, believing that such an enterprise could be made profitable. He obtained a charter for the road on 25 June 1858, but the American Civil War prevented any action until May 1866. The construction of such a road was regarded as impossible, and he became known as “Crazy Marsh”; indeed, the legislature, in granting him a charter, further expressed their willingness to grant a “charter to the moon” if he wished.

Notwithstanding all opposition, he persisted in building the railroad, relying chiefly on his own resources, and received but little encouragement from capitalists until an engine was actually running over part of the route. The peculiar form of locomotive, cog rail, and brakes used were invented by Marsh. The road was formally opened on 14 August 1868, as far as “Jacob's ladder,” and entirely completed in July 1869. During the construction of this road, it was visited by a Swiss engineer, who took away drawings of the machinery and track, from which a similar railway was built up Mount Rigi in Switzerland (see Rigi Railways).

See also: http://thecog.com/cog_history.php This page courtesy: Grace's Guide. Jean Jacques Meyer, French locomotive designer, inventor of the articulated Meyer locomotive

His first major invention was the Meyer expansion valve, used to improve efficiency in stationary steam engines. The first locomotives to use this invention were a pair of 2-2-2 locomotives Mayer built for the Chemin de fer de Strasbourg à Bâle (fr) in 1842. Named L'Espérance (Hope) and Le Succès (Success), they continued in service for S-B's successor, the Chemins de fer de l'Est until 1859.

He was the originator of the articulated locomotives which bear his name. Meyer registered his first patent describing the system in 1861. The Meyer locomotive comprised: a rigid single frame supporting cabin, and boiler; two revolving units like bogies made up each one of a steam engine involving a group of driving wheels and possibly comprising carrying wheels. The first engine of this type built by the Société J. F. Cail et Cie. (fr) in 1868 was a 0-4-0+0-4-0 named L'Avenir (Future)

Oskar von Miller(GER) engineer, driving force for electrified lines in Bavaria, founder of the Deutsches Museum .

 In 1890 he founded his own engineering office, which soon became prominent in the energy industry. He took over management of the electrotechnical exhibition at Frankfurt am Main in 1891. He succeeded in transmitting 20,000 V three-phase alternating current 176 kilometers from Lauffen am Neckar to Frankfurt am Main, a technical masterpiece and significant breakthrough in the transmission of alternating current

Matthew  Murray(1765 – 20 February 1826) Matthew Murray was an English steam engine and machine tool manufacturer, who designed and built the first commercially viable steam locomotive, the twin cylinder Salamanca in 1812 for the Middleton Railway.  John Blenkinsop, the manager of Brandlings Middleton Colliery patented a toothed wheel and rack rail system, which enabled the locomotive to haul 20 times its own weight. Sadly, even though three more locomotives were built ,Lord Wellington, and 2 others said to have been named Prince Regent and Marquis Wellington, 2 exploded , killing their drivers, and after 20 years of hard work, the engines were discontinued, the colliery eventually reverting to horse haulage.

Thomas Newcomen, first practical static steam engine

Newcomen's great achievement was his steam engine, developed around 1710, combining the ideas of Thomas Savery and Denis Papin. It is likely that Newcomen was already acquainted with Savery, whose forebears were merchants in south Devon. Savery also had a post with the Commissioners for Sick and Hurt Seamen, which took him to Dartmouth. Savery had devised a "fire engine", a kind of thermic syphon, in which steam was admitted to an empty container and then condensed. The vacuum thus created was used to suck water from the sump at the bottom of the mine. The "fire engine" was not very effective and could not work beyond a limited depth of around thirty feet.

Newcomen replaced the receiving vessel (where the steam was condensed) with a cylinder containing a piston based on Papin's design. Instead of the vacuum drawing in water, it drew down the piston. This was used to work a beam engine, in which a large wooden beam rocked upon a central fulcrum. On the other side of the beam was a chain attached to a pump at the base of the mine. As the steam cylinder was refilled with steam, readying it for the next power stroke, water was drawn into the pump cylinder and expelled into a pipe to the surface by the weight of the machinery. Newcomen and his partner John Calley built the first successful engine of this type at the Conygree Coalworks near Dudley in the West Midlands. A working replica of this engine can be seen at the Black Country Living Museum nearby.

 

William Norris,(US) founded the Norris Locomotive Works and pioneered the use of the 4-2-0 (Norris type) locomotive in America during the 1840s

The Norris Locomotive Works was a steam locomotive manufacturing company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that produced nearly one thousand railroad engines between 1832 and 1866. It was the dominant American locomotive producer during most of that period, as well as the first major exporter of American locomotives, selling its popular 4-2-0 engines to railways in Europe and building the first locomotive used in South America.

The company was started in 1832 as the American Steam Carriage Company by William Norris (1802-1867) and Major Stephen H. Long (1784-1864), a military topographical engineer and explorer.[1] The two men had experimented with steam engine building for years and, as early as 1829, designed a locomotive to burn anthracite coal. Norris and Long also built an engine called the Black Hawk, which performed with partial success on the Boston and Providence Railroad and the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad in the early 1830s. Major Long later left the firm and William Norris was joined by his brother Septimus, who patented several locomotive-related inventions. The two brothers reformed the enterprise into the Norris Locomotive Works.

One of the most historic events in railroading history occurred on July 10, 1836, when the Norris Brothers ran a test of a 4-2-0 locomotive on the Belmont Inclined Plane of the Philadelphia and Columbia Railroad. (The two-track incline ran from the Schuylkill River for 2,805 feet towards present-day Belmont Avenue, rising one foot in 15 for a total of 187 feet.) Named George Washington, the 14,400 pound engine hauled a load of 19,200 pounds (including 24 people riding on the tender and a freight car) up the grade at 15 miles per hour. This engine, the first in the world to ascend a hill by its own power, proved that a steam locomotive could climb a grade while pulling a load. So remarkable was this accomplishment that reports published in engineering journals emphatically doubted its occurrence. A second, more formal trial with an even greater load proved the engine's capabilities on July 19, 1836.

  Norris built the Lafayette for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad the following year. Named after the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette, this 4-2-0 engine was the world's first locomotive to feature a leading truck and may have been the first standardized production model locomotive. Innovations included the positioning of cylinders ahead of the smokebox and the four-wheel swiveling pilot truck. The Lafayette established the configuration that steam locomotives would follow until the end of the steam era.

In 1847, the Norris Works built the first ten-wheel locomotive in America: the Chesapeake. Operated by the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad, this was also the world's first 4-6-0 locomotive. It weighed 22 tons and had 14½ by 22 inch cylinders and driving wheels 46 inches in diameter. Initially a wood-burning locomotive, the Chesapeake was converted to burn anthracite coal in 1862, and ran for about another fifteen years. Some authorities claim that Septimus Norris came up with the design, but other sources attribute it to master builder John Brandt of the Erie Railway.

Mainline Steam Schedule Railway Herald - Railtours

Listing offered in good faith. No guarantees offered or implied. Please confirm runnings with operators. Please observe Network Rail photographic guidelines.Thank you.

Saturday 3rd January 2015

The Tugging Shedmaster (Pathfinder Tours)

• 2xDBS 66 Stafford (pu) - Tame Bridge Parkway (pu) - Aston - Birmingham New Street (pu) - Soho to Perry Barr Junctions - Bescot - Stafford - Gresty lane Junction - Gresty Green
• DBS 60 and DBS 66 tnt Gresty Green - Crewe Station - Crewe Electric Maintenance Depot - Chester Down & Up Goods
• DBS 66 and DBS 60 tnt Chester Down & Up Goods - Helsby - Arpley Junction
• DBS 08/09 Arpley Junction - Latchford Sidings
• DBS 60 Latchford Sidings - Arpley Junction - Acton Grange Junction - Crewe - Stafford - Lichfield TV Chord - Wichnor Junction - Burton upon Trent - Stenson to Sheet Store Junctions - Toton Down reception/South Loco Arrival Line - Toton Depot - North Loco Arrival Line - Stapleford & Sandoacre (swop Class 60)
• DBS 60 Stapleford & Sandiacre - Toton Centre Junction - Leicester - Hinckley - Nuneaton (sd) - Water Orton - Landor Street Junction - Camp Hill Line - Lifford Curve - Five Ways - Birmingham New Street (sd) - Tame Bridge Parkway (sd) - Stafford

Saturday 10th January 2015

The Shropshire Union (UK Railtours)

• DBS 67 London Euston (pu) - Watford Junction (pu) - Milton Keynes Central (pu) - Northampton (pu) - Rugby (pu) - Bescot
• DBS 67 and DBS 60 tnt Bescot - Wolverhampton - Madeley Junction - Ironbridge (to NR Limit)
• DBS 60 and DBS 67 tnt Ironbridge - Madeley Junction - Cosford - Oxley Curve - Penkridge - Stafford - Crewe Gresty Lane Curve - Whitchurch - Shrewsbury - Wellington - Telford International Railfreight Terminal
• DBS 67 and DBS 60 tnt Telford International Railfreight Terminal - Wellington
• DBS 67 and DBS 60 tnt Wellington - Wolverhampton - Bescot
• DBS 67 Bescot - Rugby (sd) - Northampton (sd) - Milton Keynes Central (sd) - Watford Junction (sd) - London Euston

Saturday 17th January 2015

The Mendip Mariner (Pathfinder Tours)

• DBS Class 66 x 2 tnt Eastleigh (pu) - Salisbury (pu) - Westbury (pu) -
• DBS Class 59 and DBS Class 66 tnt Westbury - Bath Spa - Keynsham - Bristol East Down Goods Loop - Dr. Days Junction - Filton West Junction - Hallen Marsh Junction - Avonmouth Docks r
• DBS Class 66 and DBS Class 59 Avonmouth Docks - Severn Beach r
• DBS Class 59 and DBS Class 66 Severn Beach - Holesmouth Junction - Sea Mills - Clifton Down - Narroways Junction - Dr. Days Junction - Bathampton Up Passenger Loop - Trowbridge - Westvury Down Reception Line - Link Line - Clink Road - Frome West - Whatley Quarry Branch (Hanson) (rev) -
• DBS Class 66 and DBS Class 59 Watley Quarry - Frome North - Clink Road Junction - Westbury
• DBS Class 66 Westbury - Salisbury (sd) - Eastleigh

Sunday 18th January 2015

BLS Merseyrail 750v Tracker (Branch Line Society)

• Merseyrail CXlass 507/508 EMU Hooton (pu) - Rock Ferry - James Street (pu) - Stock Interchange Stabling Sidings - James Street - Birkenhead North - West Kirby - Bidston East Junction - Birkenhead North Depot Washer Road - Birkenhead North Back Road - New Brighton - Bidston East Junction - Birkenhead North - Hamilton Square -James Street - Liverpool Central - Liverpool Central Reversing Siding - Liverpool Central - Kirkdale Depot Washer Line - Aintree - Aintree Signal 1206 - Aintree - Kirkdale Depot North Run Round Line - Sandhills Reversing Siding - Southport - Southport Signal 112 - Southport Wall Siding - Southport Signal 112 - Southport - Southport Sidings No. 10 - Southport -Southport Signal 112 - Birkdale Siding No. 3 - Hall Road Signal 1055 - Hall Road Wallside Siding - Liverpool Central - Liverpool South Parkway (sd) - Liverpool Central - Stock interchange Line - James Street (sd) - Hamilton Square - Rock Ferry - Hooton

Friday 23rd January 2015

Belmond British Pullman Luncheon Train (Belmond (British Pullman))

• 35028 London Victoria (pu) - Staines - Woking - Guildford - Shalford - Reigate - Redhill - East Croydon - London Victoria

Saturday 24th January 2015

The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express (Railway Touring Company)

• 5690 and 45699 Manchester Victoria (pu) - Bolton (pu) - Preston (pu) - Shap - Carlisle
• 5690 and 45699 Carlisle - Appleby - S&C - Hellifield - Blackburn (sd) - Bolton (sd) - Manchester Victoria

Friday 30th January 2015

The English Bulldog (re-dated To 9 May 2015) (UK Railtours)

• tbc London Waterloo (pu) - Clapham Junction (pu) - Staines (pu) - Virginia Water - Reading - Oxford - Evesham - Worcester Shrub Hill
• tbc Worcester Shrub Hill (pu) - Cheltenham Spa - Stroud - Sapperton - Kemble - Swindon - Reading (sd) - Virginia Water - Staines (sd) - Clapham Junction (sd) - London Waterloo

Postponed

Saturday 31st January 2015

The Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express (Railway Touring Company)

• 86259 London Euston (pu) - Watford Junction (pu) - Milton Keynes Central (pu) - Northampton (by service train to Rugby) - Rugby - Nuneaton - Crewe (pu)
• 46233 Crewe - Warrington Bank Quay - Preston - Carnforth - Shap - Carlisle
• 46233 Carlisle - Appleby - S&C - Hellifield - Blackburn (sd) (for Preston) - Warrington Bank Quay - Crewe (sd)
• 86259 Crewe - Nuneaton (sd) - Rugby (sd) - (Northampton by service train from Rugby) - Milton Keynes Central (sd) - Watford Junction (sd) - London Euston

On This Day in History.

January

2012                                 

In January 2012, the then Secretary of State for Transport announced that the

creation of a new high speed rail network for the UK would go ahead, providing vital

infrastructure links and boosting the economy for generations to come.

--/01/1929       

First of an eventual 863 GWR 5700 class pannier tank steam locomotives to C B

Collett's design completed at its Swindon Works. 

01/01/1923      

Under the  terms of the Railways Act 1921, all major railways in Great Britain are

amalgamated into the "Big Four".. Great Western Railway, London, Midland &

Scottish Railway, London and North Eastern Railway and the Southern Railway.

01/01/1948      

The UK's railways were  nationalised.

01/01/1905     

The Trans-Siberian Railway officially opens..allowing travel from Paris to

Vladivostock in 21 days

01/01/1882      

Gotthard Tunnel  (15 km (9 mi)),opens to traffic completing the Gotthardbahn in

Switzerland.

??/01/2003                  

The electrification of the Trans Siberian Railway, a project begun in 1929, is

completed.

01/01/1915         

The Ilford rail crash in England kills 10.

01/01/1945 

Coras Iompair Eireann(CIE) is the new national transport operator in the Republic of

Ireland.

CIE liveried locomotive at Cobh, May 1980 ??/01/1965       

British Railways adopts a new corporate identity including the name British Rail and

the 'double arrow' symbol.

01/01/1943     

First Hunslet Austerity 0-6-6ST steamed, earliest of 377 built for war service to British

Ministry of Supply order.

01/01/1938       

Creation of SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français), bringing the principal railway companies of Fance together under government control.

??/01/1933

London Underground diagram designed by Harry Beck introduced. 

01/01/1932      

William Stanier appointed CME of the LMS succeeding Ernest Lemon.

03/01/1917      

The Ratho rail crash (Scotland) results in 12 deaths.

05/01/1969     

Last trains over the Waverley Route from Edinburgh in Scotland to Carlisle.

Waverley Station, Edinburgh. 05/01/1997  

British train  operating companies begin their passenger service franchises operation

as part of the privatisation of British Rail.... Anglia Railways (GB Railways); Great

Eastern (First Group); Virgin Cross  Country and WAGN (Prism Rail)

06/01/1997     

Full freight and passenger service is restored through the  Channel Tunnel   just

short of two months after a devastating fire. 

06/01/1968

The Hixon rail crash.... a low loader road transporter is struck by an express train on

an automatic half barrier level crossing at Hixon, Staffordshire. 11 deaths. The

incident triggers repurcussions on arrangements for automating level crossings.

09/01/1900      

The first through train runs from Cairo to Khartoum in the Sudan

09/01/1886      

The first GWR coal train runs through the 4 ½ mile Severn Tunnel

 

12/01/2009   

Official opening of Docklands Light Railway London City Airport branch extension

under the River Thames to Woolwich Arsenal

                                                                                  

16/01/1961      Eastern Region of British Railways takes delivery of D9001, the first production "Deltic" class diesel locomotive

19/01/1918    

The Little Salkeld rail accident in England kills 7 people

21/01/1905    

O. S. Nock, English railway author and signalling engineer (d. 1994)

23/01/1955     

Sutton Coldfield train disaster, England: a passenger train rounds a sharp curve too fast and derails; 17 people die as a result.

23/01/1911   

The Pontypridd railway accident in South Wales kills 11 people

24/01/1955    

British Transport Commission produces a report on Modernisation and Re-

Equipment of British Railways which proposes the large-scale replacement of the

steam locomotive by diesel and electrification together with major resignalling

projects

                                                                                           26/01/1921    The Abermule train collision was a head-on collision which occurred at Abermule,     Montgomeryshire, Wales on 26 January 1921, killing 17 people. The crash arose from misunderstandings between staff which effectively over-rode the safe operation of the Electric Train Tablet system protecting the single line. A train departed carrying the wrong tablet for the section it was entering and collided with a train coming the other way.

26/01/1998   

The Konkan Railway , India opens. This 741-kilometre line connects Maharashtra,

Goa and Karnataka States, from Mumbai to Mangalore.59 stations, 91 tunnels, 179

major bridges, 1,819 minor bridges.( Longest Bridge : Across Sharavati river in

Honnavar (2065.8 m) Tallest Viaduct : Panval Nadi (64m. high). The project was

completed in 7 years.

Photos courtesy Konkan Railway.

29/01/1959:    

Fog brings transport chaos

Dense fog - the worst for seven years - has brought road, rail and air transport in

many parts of England and Wales to a virtual standstill. Many long-distance trains

from London were cancelled. Suburban services were also seriously disrupted.

                

Melbourne's Forgotten Railway Read about the documentary project here...and helpful links. Radstock to Frome Railway Project Latest news here.... Christian Wolmar...

RSA speech: What is franchising not for?  

What is franchising for – it is a question I have been asking for some ten years and never had a satisfactory answer. So obviously rather than trying to answer the question, the main part of this speech will be about what franchising is NOT for. The problem with franchising is that, like HS2 which is another subject, it started with the wrong premise and therefore the whole house of cards is built on sandy foundations. Let me explain this Let’s start with the mindset of the people who privatised the railway. Why did they do it? Well they started with a whole lot of assumptions and intentions

• BR was inefficient
• There was too much subsidy
• The unions were too strong and there were too many strikes
• There was no commercial flair
• There was no completion

We can argue the toss about these points all night but while BR may have had inefficiencies, it had shed 500,000 – yes half a million – jobs in its 50 years of existence; from 650,000 to 150,000. Yes there were still guards in a few supposedly unnecessary places – but then South West Trains has not managed to change that situation in the past 20 years! BR was by and large a success story – and was broken up for ideological reasons not to improve the lot of passengers or, indeed, taxpayers. That, again, is axiomatic and uncontentious. As for subsidy, we all know the story. From a BR subsidy of around £1bn to £1.5bn in today’s money, we went up to £6bn at the peak and it is now running at around £4bn – but add to that the fact that a debt of £30bn has been built up by Network Rail over the past 20 years that has now been put on the government books, which adds perhaps another £1.5bn per year to the level of subsidy but is never factored in. So we get around £5bn per year throughout the history of privatisation. Continue reading this article...HERE

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Around the World in 80 Railways. (No 54 Bulgaria/Greece)

Steam along the scenic Gabrovo branch with - Henschel 4-8-2 No.03.12 Day 3 of the 2014 Railway Touring Company "Black Sea Express" Tour of Bulgaria and Greece

WATTRAIN , APHTRO At this very moment in time someone will be riding a heritage tram or train somewhere in the world and it is WATTRAIN’s aim to ensure that this will be the case for many years to come. Although different countries may have different laws and cultures, our heritage trams and trains all face the same sorts of issues; finance; restoration costs; Insurance; volunteer shortages and other similar things. WATTRAIN is here to bring organisations together, to allow them to learn from each other, passing on new ideas and also showing others what to avoid on their way to succeeding in their efforts.

If you or your organisation agrees with what we are trying to achieve, please consider joining us in our endeavours details can be found on our membership pages.

Although there are many activities in the heritage and tourist railway sector in the Asia - Pacific region, they are busily advancing their plans separately; it seems there is little co-operation between countries. On the other hand, the international co-operation has been achieved and succeeded in the other rigion: Europe, North and Latin America and Whole World. It is essential to establish and improve regional co-operation. This should be closer, more frequent and appropriate at the local level than worldwide level. APHTRO, Asia Pacific Heritage and Tourist Rail Organisation will mainly help the improvement of our treasured heritage railways and museums by forming a co-operative organisation to unite the countries. It will provide a forum where we can share experience and exchange ideas, advice and information in many aspects. APHTRO is able to act an important role and contribute to the growth and development of the heritage and tourist railways in the Asia - Pacific region.

Sent on behalf of Russ Hillier 

Monday 23rd February 2015 - Morayshire at the Nene Valley Railway

The event is offered with massive thanks to the Nene Valley Railway. Monday 23rd February featuring 62712 on Blood and Custards for half of the day and Freight for the other . Start at Wansford, time to be advised and extras expected as per Russ's 92212 date this Autumn Cost is expected to be around £60-£65 (Russ is just doing the calculation) To secure your place please ring Russ on 07831217061 . If you reply to me I'll forward on to Russ but cannot guarantee you will secure a place

The Severn Valley Dub Dee

Friday 27th March 2015

With thanks to the Severn Valley Railway , KWVR and loco owners I am pleased to announce a day with visiting WD 90733 on goods on the Severn Valley Railway on Friday 27th March 2015. Start is expected to be Bewdley around 9:30 with the loco facing south . The provisional plan is that we'll spend the morning around Bewdley and up to the tunnel before lunch and a run round taking the train as far as Highley (primarily in the interests of time) in the afternoon from where we will again gently run down the valley with a finish around 17:30. Cost is £60 with 38 places maximum available I'm working with the railway to create a BR esque goods set , Cadbury wagon, Cattle wagon, Bolsters , Ballast and may add some of pre-nationalisation wagons at the rear for length and weight. As some of the details remain provisional and we are so close to Christmas if you would like to secure a place please e-mail me . At this point don't worry about cheques or paypal . I will confirm your place and in the new year once all the arrangements are finalised I'll send you a final confirmation and request for payment .  We look forward to welcoming you on this event.  For those who would like to spend longer on the SVR Matt Fielding has provisionally booked the Thursday with a second guest locomotive (as yet unannounced) plus Russ has provisionally booked the Tuesday and Wednesday (34053 plus Loco TBC) and finally Don Bishop has a day with 34053 on the Monday. Negotiations continue over a number of dates and more details as soon as I can share . The aforementioned March dates (15th and 16th) are waiting for the loco owners to confirm loco availability following winter maintenance. 

As always a very big thank you for all your support . Without it these events can't run and as always we look forward to welcoming you on an event in 2014 . Places can be reserved by e-mail . Cheques made payable to 30742 Charters and sent to 20 Portia Avenue, Shirley, Solihull , B90 2NW or payments accepted via PayPal

North Staffs N7 Farewell

Saturday 18th April - N7 69621 at the Churnet Valley

With thanks to the owners of the loco and the Churnet Valley Railway we are pleased to announce a day with N7 69621 in what will actually be the last day of its boiler certificate . The plan is to use a short  goods rake (no engineering wagons) and we will focus on the Frogall to Leekbrook section to maximise photographic opportunities and also reduce the need for regular watering as we would need by venturing to Ipstones . The logic being she has regularly worked passenger stock and Matt Allen's charter last year featured the parcels rake so a goods rake rings the changes and gives us a chance to recapture the days of the quintessential branch line pick up goods. Start will be at Cheddleton around 9am finish around 5:30. Although not regular goods engines N7's did on occasions work goods trains Cost is £55 and numbers are limited to 30 to allow for a comfortable days photography and we hope you will be able to join us on our first visit to the Churnet Valley Railway and bid farewell to 69621 before overhaul . As we are so close to Christmas if you would like to secure a place please e-mail me . At this point don't worry about cheques or paypal . I will confirm your place and in the new year once all the arrangements are finalised I'll send you a final confirmation and request for payment . 

As always a very big thank you for all your support . Without it these events can't run and as always we look forward to welcoming you on an event in 2014 . Places can be reserved by e-mail . Cheques made payable to 30742 Charters and sent to 20 Portia Avenue, Shirley, Solihull , B90 2NW or payments accepted via PayPal

Stafford Railwayana Auctions News Railwayana Auctions News  Railwayana Enquiries  

Rail enthusiasts often want to acquire a bit of railway history, be it a LOCO nameplate, NUMBER PLATES, GWR CABSIDES, Station totems , whistles, lamps, SIGNALLING, POSTERS or any other RAILWAY RELATED item(s) that links in with the railway past, or do you need a trusted price, age or value?

Do you have any railway collectable items 'For Sale'?

Are you looking for a specific nameplate, numberplate or sign? Website: http://www.railwayana.com/index.html Speak to Neil on..... 01242 62002001242 620020  or 07836 22571107836 225711

================ Back Page ex -GWR Hall Class 4-6-0 no 4965 Rood Ashton Hall in Sutton Park 19/12/2014.(C)Graham Gifford