The Railway Magazine - October 2014

-PAGE BUMPER EDITION INCLUDES 33-PAGE SPECIAL SCOTTISH SECTION BRITAIN’S BEST-SELLING RAIL TITLE October 2014

RAILWAYS YS OF BRITAIN GO FORTH TOGETHER Scots vote averts break-up of the UK rail network

s 4 A SWANSONG Page 32

TWIN ‘PEAKS’

A ‘JUBILEE’... IN BLACK

AT DERBY OPEN DAY

The Heritage Railways of Scotland – full overview Rudyard Lake line for sale

● THE

BEATTOCK STORY

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OF ‘BULLET TRAINS’

The

EDITORIAL

Editor: Nick Pigott Deputy editor: Chris Milner Assistant editor: Nick Brodrick Designers: Tim Pipes and Rosie Ward Reprographics: Jonathan Schofield Publisher: Tim Hartley Editorial assistant: Sarah Wilkinson Sub-editor: Nigel Devereux Steam & Railtour News: Nick Brodrick Classic Traction News: Peter Nicholson Operations News: Ashley Butlin Narrow Gauge News: Cliff Thomas Metro News: Paul Bickerdyke World News: Keith Fender Chief correspondent: Phil Marsh By post: The Railway Magazine, Mortons Media Group, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR Tel: 01507 529589 Fax: 01507 371066 Email: railway@mortons.co.uk © 2014 Mortons Media ISSN 0033-8923

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A warm welcome to our special Scottish Number TRAIN OFTHOUGHT S Editor’s

O, the campaigning is at last over and the good people of Scotland have spoken.

The United Kingdom and its railways are to remain intact and all fears of passport controls at Berwick and Gretna have thankfully dissipated, along with thoughts of a Caledonian State Railway.

Some months ago, we at The Railway Magazine decided that, whatever the outcome of the independence referendum, the occasion was of such historic significance that it deserved to be marked with a special issue – for even if the Scots were to vote against independence, the transfer of further devolved powers from Westminster to Holyrood could only make the railways north of Hadrian’s Wall even more autonomous in the future.

Helping to drive our decision was the fact that from 1921 to 1941, The Railway Magazine regularly produced a ‘Special Scottish Number’, in which the articles all had a related theme. What better opportunity to reprise this tradition (albeit as a one-off) than now... when the name of Scotland is on everyone’s lips and railway enthusiasts the length and breadth of Britain are wondering about the future of the former Scottish Region of British Railways?

The illustration on the right depicts the cover of our January 1940 Scottish issue. Inside the 2014 version you are holding now, you will find a wealth of subjects ranging from steam on the fearsome Beattock bank to the current situations concerning ScotRail and Scottish railfreight operators and an update on the exciting Waverley Route rebuild. We have also undertaken a thorough survey of the heritage scene in Scotland to create, possibly for the first time in a single article, an overview of the major standard and narrow gauge preservation groups.

So, what would have happened if the Scots had voted ‘Yes’ in the September 18 referendum?

Ironically, it could have led to several intriguing situations, for if ScotRail had become a state railway in its own right, it would have been allowed to bid

Comment

for English passenger franchises, just as other foreign state railway authorities are allowed to.

Secondly, the very idea of a franchise north of the border could have become irrelevant once the present contracts expire and ScotRail became an independent company... and that could have led to an intriguing situation for those franchisees who operate cross-border services (not all of which are by any means profitable, of course). Running from Network Rail onto a vertically integrated state network in the same journey would have thrown up some interesting problems for the regulators to overcome.

Some people in Scotland may not fully appreciate it, but devolved powers have existed since 2005 allowing the Scottish Government to specify and finance numerous projects and, as a result, their railways already enjoy a remarkable degree of independence and financial flexibility. This has enabled massive projects like the Borders Line to go ahead and electrification schemes to proceed at a greater speed than is the case in the rest of the UK. Whisper it in Glasgow and Dundee, but if the dire warnings by ‘yes’ campaign politicians about the future of oil reserves eventually prove true, full independence might even have led to less being spent on Scotland’s railways than is the case today.

Not only that, but if the vote had been ‘yes’ and Scotland had been admitted to the EU, it might have found itself being forced to contribute more to the subsidy of railways in mainland Europe.

The referendum vote may have been ‘no’, but I have a strong feeling that the increased devolution resulting from the decision will mean greatly increased levels of independence for Scotland’s railways anyway.

NICK PIGOTT, Editor

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 3

Contents

October 2014. No. 1,363. Vol 160. A journal of record since 1897

Headline News

On the cover MAIN IMAGE: The Forth Bridge, possibly the most iconic symbol of Scottish railways, kicks off our special Scottishthemed issue. PA

INSET 1: Together at last – both preserved Class 44‘Peaks’at The RM-backed Derby open day. See pages 12-13.

STEVE DONALD

What a line-up: More new Class 66s arrive - see p7.

Enlarged Thameslink franchise begins; Demolition and rebuild for Wolverton? Worth Valley axes diesel galas; Class 47s for Hungary; Rocking at the Roundhouse; Virgin confirms Blackpool and Shrewsbury services, plus a full round-up of Derby Etches Park open day.

INSET 2: A ‘Jubilee’in black! No. 45690 Leander simmers at Carnforth after overhaul. See page 9.

HERITAGE PAINTING LTD

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest 96 Traction Update

Scrapped, sold, renumbered, repainted? Full details here.

98 Traction Portfolio 101 Network

Repairs begin on last section of Dawlish sea wall; Extra platforms planned for Manchester Piccadilly.

104 Narrow Gauge

Emotional Ashover re-creation; Richmond Railway unveiled.

The unique ‘Tracks to Trenches’ event - see p106.

72 Steam & Heritage

Race to the finish for Ivatt trio; LNER duo star at‘Poppy Line’; Awayday for Adams‘radial’tank;‘Caley’0-6-0 sidelined.

82 Steam Portfolio 85 Metro 86 Railtours

’Idiot’trespassers targeted by main line loco owners; Arbitration plan in West Coast/Network Rail dispute.

93 Traction & Stock

SWT orders new Siemens EMUs; £36m Class 334 overhaul contract for Alstom; Class 166 refurbishment news.

106 Narrow Gauge Extra

A special report from the Tracks to Trenches event at Staffordshire’s Apedale Railway.

109 Classic Traction 112 Miniature 114 World

‘Train to the Clouds’derailment; British diesel comeback in Portugal; New DMUs for Cuba.

116 World Extra

50 years of the‘Bullet Trains’- a special report

118 Operations

News from the train and freight operating companies.

Regulars

UK’S TOPSELLING RAIL TITLE!

16 Multiple Aspects 16 Railways in Parliament 31 All Change This month’s ‘then and now’looks at Cowlairs, Glasgow.

36 Subscriptions Offer 57 Readers’Platform 60 Panorama

Subscribe today and save money on every issue.

A bumper eight pages of superb photographs in our regular monthly showcase.

69 Meetings Details of railway society meetings near you.

Panorama - the readers’portfolio - p60.

125 Heritage Diary

129 Reader Services

A comprehensive listing of dates when heritage railways and steam centres will be open.

The Railway Magazine’s audited circulation of 37,853 copies per month makes it by far the

130 Prize Crossword and Where Is It?

Call 01507 529529 or see page 36 for our latest offers

A remarkable photograph capturing two‘Pendolinos’at full tilt alongside a conventional container working, graphically illustrating the differences in the‘envelope’of the two types of train. This amazing juxtaposition was recorded at Linslade, Bedfordshire, on July 14. FRASER PITHIE

Features

17 Britain’s largest railway operation

The area covered by the ScotRail franchise is the largest in square mileage terms. Chris Milner looks at the history, development and future plans for the franchise.

24 Railfreight north of the border Paul Shannon analyses the different type of freight currently carried in Scotland following the severe cutbacks in traditional industries.

DELIVERING THE GOODS: SpotlightonScottishfreight-p24

32 Swansong of the A4s

Gresley’s A4 Pacifics gained a fresh lease of life in Scotland after the end of steam on the East Coast Main Line, as this pictorial swansong shows.

38 The heritage railways of Scotland

There are more than a dozen heritage railways in Scotland of varying gauges. The RM summarises the main sites and what they have to offer.

STREAMLINER SWANSONG: LastdaysofA4sinScotland-p32

46 The Battle of Beattock

For this month’s Practice & Performance, Keith Farr look at some of the sterling efforts from locomotives and footplate crews on the gruelling ascent of Beattock bank, both past and present.

52 A legendary line back to life

Ashley Butlin looks at progress on the reconstruction of the Borders line from Edinburgh to Tweedbank, which is due to open in 12 months’time.

AN UPHILL STRUGGLE: SteamoverBeattock-p46

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 5

HeadlineNews Two-in-one‘super franchise’begins business as newThameslink unit is exhibited at Innotrans OPERATION of what, in service and passenger terms, is the biggest franchise in the 20-year history of rail privatisation began on September 14 when two existing franchises merged. The formal launch was held the next day at London Blackfriars station with Transport Minister Claire Perry as guest of honour.

The creation of the Thameslink, Southern & Greater Northern franchise (TSGN) is a result of the combination of the Southern and First Capital Connect franchises. Although not the largest in terms of territory served, it can boast the highest number of passengers carried, trains run and track miles operated as well as the largest staff and revenue statistics (6,500 and £1.3billion, respectively).

It stretches from Peterborough and King’s Lynn in the north to Brighton, Eastbourne and Southampton in the south.

The winning bidder taking control of this rail empire is Govia, which was already operating the Southern franchise (including Gatwick Express). Govia, a partnership between Go-Ahead and Keolis, also runs the Southeastern and London Midland franchises, so this win gives them control of a massive swathe

of services across London and the South East.

The formal identity of the new franchise is Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), but the company has indicated that rather than creating one corporate brand, the four well-known brands of Southern, Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Great Northern will retain their existing identity.

The logos for Southern and Gatwick Express remain unchanged for the time being (the two are merging next year), while Thameslink and Great Northern will use a derivative of the GTR corporate logo (see top of this page).

The franchise is to be run as a management contract, with ticket revenues passing to the Government’s Department for Transport, and Govia retaining a small percentage.

Speaking at the formal launch on September 15, GTR chief executive Charles Horton said:“We will be increasing capacity on commuter services, improving reliability and punctuality, introducing three new fleets of trains and spending £50m on station improvements.”

A total of 1,140 Class 700 Thameslink carriages are under construction by

The shape of things to come... first of the new franchise’s Siemens-built EMUs displayed at the Innotrans exhibition in Germany in late September. KEITH FENDER

Showing off the new Thameslink livery at the launch of the franchise in London Blackfriars station on September 15 is Class 319 No. 319009. TONY MILES

Siemens in Germany, and will be introduced from 2016. An example was displayed at the Innotrans rail industry exposition in Germany in late September (see separate panel).

Aside from those, GTR is to invest £430m into the franchise during its seven-year tenure. There will be a new train fleet of 150 vehicles for the GN inner suburban services to Moorgate from 2018, replacing the Class 313s that are almost 40 years old. Govia will also procure a new fleet of 108 carriages for Gatwick Express, replacing the Class 442s. On the GN outer suburban services, the Class 365s will be replaced by 377s during 2016.

As Class 700s arrive and begin work, GTR will switch the Class 377 EMUs to King’s Lynn line services from 2017.

To cater for the increased number of trains through the Thameslink core – 20 by 2018, 24 by the end of 2018 – services on the King’s Cross/St Pancras-Blackfriars section will run under ERTMS and there will be a three-year trial of overnight services from London to Luton Airport from December 2015.

On the South London Metro/Wimbledon service, the Class 319s will be replaced by Class 700s. One setback will see the PurleyTattenham Corner shuttles withdrawn in December 2015. Overall, the new vehicles

GTR chief executive Charles Horton and Transport Minister Claire Perry at the Blackfriars launch. TONY MILES

will provide an extra 10,000 seats on trains to London in the morning peak. It is also planned to have free wi-fi at 104 stations on the GTR network, and GTR has committed to the introduction of first-tolast train staffing at its busiest 100 stations.

By 2018, the enlarged Farringdon station will have opened on the Crossrail route.

Two new depots are under construction – Three Bridges, which will be commissioned next year, and Hornsey in 2016.

From 2015, GTR will introduce smart ticketing on its network using‘The Key’ smartcard.

SOUTHEASTERN GETS FRANCHISE EXTENSION

The interior of the new Class 700 unit and (below) a close-up of the continental style display showing passengers’ whereabouts in the train they are seated.

6 • The Railway Magazine • October 2014

THE DfT has made a direct franchise award to Southeastern, which extends the existing franchise until June 2018.

Under the terms of the deal, Govia will have to deliver further enhancements for passengers even with the complex and disruptive work taking place at London Bridge.

Over the course of the extended term, Southeastern plans to recast its high-speed Kentish timetable, providing new journey opportunities to help passengers during the rebuild of London Bridge. There will be a loop service calling at more stations offering more seats during the peak hour (with 698 seats at Ashford in the morning peak and 349 extra seats from Ebbsfleet).

In addition, Southeastern plans a new Hastings to London fast-train service in the morning and evening peak, a new direct service between Maidstone East and Canterbury West,

more trains between Dartford and London Victoria, a through service between Sheerness-on-Sea and London Victoria in the peak and a new Blackfriars to Maidstone East service.

An additional 75 staff will be hired and deployed to gatelines at key stations and there will be 170 extra customer service staff at key stations.

The opening hours of London Cannon Street station will be extended so that staff are available 21 hours between 04.30 and 01.30 and to accommodate services running into the station later in the day. Southeastern also plans more discounted fares for off-peak travel.

Working in conjunction with TfL, there are plans to have Dartford and Swanley stations included in the TfL Oyster Travelcard area, and to use Oyster to store ticket value for high-speed journeys between St Pancras International and Stratford International.

Have you got a story for us? Email: railway@mortons.co.uk

Mostovercrowded trainsidentified ANNUAL figures from the Department for Transport show that the most overcrowded train in Britain is London Midland’s 16.46 Euston-Crewe service, which averaged more than 111% over-capacity.

Transport Minister Claire Perry said: "Train operators must act now to find new ways to create space on the network and in their trains.”

Although LM has since managed to increase the number of carriages on the 16.46, other operating companies will be unable to meet the Government’s request until new or extra rolling stock is in service. The report shows that in the London area morning high-peak period (08.00 to 09.00), 38% of services were over capacity, and 81% had passengers standing.

After the Crewe service, the next four most overcrowded trains in the survey period were: 07.32 Woking-Waterloo 07.21 Oxford-Paddington 18.33 Paddington-Heathrow 06.30 Middlesbrough-Manchester Airport SWT has just announced an order for 30 new trains (see p93), there are new fleets planned for Moorgate suburban and Gatwick Express services and the production of 1,140 Thameslink carriages is underway, but little seems to be done to tackle overcrowding away from London and the South East.

The extraordinary convoy of 10 GB Railfreight Class 66s (including haulage loco No. 66753) heading past Undy, east of Newport, on September 8. QUENTIN HAWKES

Nine more Class 66s arrive for GBRf GB RAILFREIGHT has taken delivery of the penultimate batch of Class 66s.

Over the weekend of September 6-7, nine locos were unloaded at Newport docks, Gwent, moving north on September 8 in a single convoy,

hauled by No. 66753. The nine new locos are Nos. 66757-66765, and are due to receive final modifications at EMD’s Roberts Road depot, Doncaster, before entering traffic.

Four locos – Nos. 66761, 66762,

66763 and 66764 – were deposited temporarily at Barrow Hill due to a lack of space at Doncaster.

The final batch of seven is expected in late October or early November and will comprise Nos. 66766-772.

VirginTrains given green light for Blackpool and Shrewsbury services APPROVAL has finally been granted by the Office of Rail Regulation for Virgin Trains to begin daily services from both Blackpool and Shrewsbury to London.

From the December timetable, Shrewsbury will have two trains to London at 06.39 and 15.24, calling at Telford Central, Wellington, Wolverhampton, Birmingham New Street, Birmingham International, Coventry and Rugby (morning service only). The return services from London are at 10.23 and 18.23, arriving in Shrewsbury at 12.58 and 20.55. Virgin

has extended its West Midlands services to provide a new link.

On Saturdays, Shrewsbury departures will be at 08.18 and 15.24, with Euston departures at 11.23 and 19.00.

Blackpool gets direct trains from London for the first time since Virgin withdrew the service in 2003.

On this route, there will be just one up service, departing at 05.25, calling at Kirkham & Wesham, Poulton-le-Flyde, Preston, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay, Crewe and Nuneaton before arriving in London at

Class 800 trains begin testing in Japan TESTING of the first of three pre-series Class 800 trains is underway at Hitachi's factory in Kasado, Japan.

Ordered for the DfT’s IEP (Intercity Express Programme) to replace HSTs and Class 91 sets on the Great Western and East Coast Main Lines, the testing is initially limited to low-speed runs on the test track.

During 2015, the three sets, which are all bi-modal electric/diesel trains, are expected to be shipped to the UK, where they will undergo a period of testing on

the East Coast Main Line. Negotiations are taking place about using the test track at Old Dalby as well.

The Class 800 SETs (Super Express Trains) are being built as five- or nine-car formations, with three carriages having underfloor diesel engines in the five-car sets and five vehicles so fitted in the nine-car units.

Unusually, the carriages with the diesel engines have a slightly higher floor and will feature a ‘transition slope’ at the end of the carriages.

08.34. It is effectively an extension of a train that currently starts from Lancaster at 05.35.

The return from London departs at 16.33, arriving back in the Lancashire resort at 19.31, and is an extension of a service that now terminates at Preston.

The Shrewsbury service will start on Sunday, December 14 and the Blackpool operation 24 hours later on Monday (15th). Both will be formed of Class 221 ‘Super Voyagers’, the up Blackpool train being coupled up at Crewe with one that has run from North Wales.

EastMidlandsTrainsis OperatoroftheYear

EAST Midlands Trains has won the award for Passenger Operator of the Year at the National Rail Awards.

The citation recognises the transformation made by EMT Midlands Trains over the past year and setting new standards for the industry.

EMT has rolled out free station wi-fi, a 24-hour customer contact centre and free breakfast in first class, as well as completing a programme of DMU refurbishment and spending a further £10million on station facilities.

Managing director David Horne said:“I am so proud of our 2,020 staff for working hard to deliver these major improvements.”

News Street’s atrium completed

Turntable to be installed at Newton Aycliffe HITACHI Rail Europe is to install an 80-tonne locomotive turntable at its Newton Aycliffe manufacturing plant.

The turntable is understood to be the first all-new one of its size and capacity to be built and installed at a UK depot for more than half a century.

It will be accompanied by a smaller bogie test turntable, both of which will be built and supplied by Lloyds Somers Railway Engineering, of Four Oaks, Birmingham. n As we closed for press, another turntable hit the news. See page 7.

THE final section of the new atrium roof at Birmingham New Street station was installed in mid-September, marking another important milestone in the station’s redevelopment. Made from ETFE (ethylene tetrafluoroethylene), the translucent covering will allow natural light to stream down onto the huge new concourse below after 6,000 tonnes of old concrete have been removed from the former Pallasades shopping centre – a task that will take six months.

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 7

Multiple Aspects with Lord Berkeley

NR ‘cutbacks’ clear the way for better trackside management

I

AM pleased that Network Rail has announced a ‘much more pro-active approach to the way in which it manages lineside vegetation’.

On some lines, the Gunnislake branch for example, tree branches give the sides of coaches a good scrape which, when it is raining, almost avoids the need for washing the train! In all seriousness, though, trees and bushes do cause major problems in a number of ways.

Leaves on the line are an inevitable result of autumn and the only solution is to remove them at source or continue with expensive means of cleaning the rail-head.

Whole trees falling across the line are a major safety risk and there are far more of these than one might think; NR says there are about 1,000 incidents a year in which trains hit trees or parts of trees.

So, it is good that NR is tackling the problem. I hope that they do it in a radical enough way that the lines remain clear for, perhaps, 10 years.

A good rule of thumb for tree and bush cutting would be to remove anything above a 45° line up from the nearest track. This is easily enough done on NR land, but if extending to nearby owner’s land, might need some negotiations.

Yes, it’s desirable to do the work when birds are not nesting, but the railway is a transport business that needs to be operated safely and reliably. If that means cutting trees

and bushes to achieve this, then those who live alongside lines must accept that this should happen. An efficient national transport system is far more important than any concerns lineside residents might have about their gardens being overlooked by passengers.

Keep at it, Network Rail – but don’t then go and plant new trees by the line! I recently spotted a line of trees, probably planted around 10 years ago, beside the West Coast Main Line in Staffordshire.

These were no doubt planted to appease a landowner during the last upgrade, but in 20 years, they will be spreading their leaves over the lines each autumn and in stormy weather might one day bring down the catenary or worse.

I hope those who are designing HS2 as a line that must be neither seen or even heard don’t fall into the same trap.

French electrification gives UK food for thought

I READ recently that RFF, the French infrastructure manager, owned and operated by SNCF, is electrifying the 44km single-track line from Calais to Dunkirk at a cost of €104.5million.

This is quite a surprise, given that the line has always been only lightly used for passenger and had little freight traffic, but it is, of course, a strategically important connection between the Channel Tunnel and the

Belgian network. Every time there is a rail strike in France (seemingly several hundred times a year) people have bemoaned the difficulties of operating freight trains to France through the Channel Tunnel – the delays, and the obstruction by French officials and SNCF of any competition, be it for passenger and freight services.

The electrification of this line provides some examples for us in the UK. Fifteen services a day are planned, raising the expected passenger numbers from 230 a day to 1,000.

That means the electrification scheme is costing just over €2m per km with an expectation of 1,000 passengers a day. I wonder what the benefit-to-cost ratio is here, and whether the scheme would satisfy the Treasury ‘green book’. Funding comes from the Regional Government, RFF and the European Union.

It also provides an example of how regional decision making can help get such work under way.

Perhaps this is how small rail investments should be achieved in the UK if and when we get some meaningful regional government. But then the French regions have powers to raise taxes – and regularly use them. .

berkeleyafg@parliament.uk

■ (The independent views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of The RM or the Rail Freight Group, of which Tony Berkeley is chairman).

Railways in Parliament GW electrification

JUSTIN Tomlinson (North Swindon) asked the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the progress made in electrifying the Great Western route.

Transport minister Claire Perry said: “Officials at the Department for Transport are in regular dialogue with Network Rail with regards to the programme for Great Western Electrification.

“The electrification is programmed to be delivered in phases starting with Maidenhead to Newbury, Oxford, Chippenham and Bristol Parkway in December 2016. Chippenham to Bristol Temple Meads electrification is programmed to be delivered in May 2017, and Bristol Temple Meads and Bristol Parkway to Cardiff is programmed for December 2017.”

16 • The Railway Magazine • October 2014

Driver-only trains

ERIC Ollerenshaw (Lancaster and Fleetwood) asked what steps are being taken to ensure safety on Northern Rail and TransPennine Express trains running driver-only operations.

Claire Perry replied:“There are currently no services on either the TransPennine Express or Northern franchises that use driver-only operation.

“In the consultation on the future of these franchises, which concluded on August 28, we stated that‘on the Northern franchise, we expect to require bidders to set out how driver-only operation may be introduced onto suitable services. On TransPennine Express, this will be left at bidders’ discretion’.

“Driver-only operation is a safe method that is already the working

practice on around 30 per cent of existing franchise services, including, for instance, many commuter services in London and Glasgow.”

Directly Operated Railways

LILLIAN Greenwood (Nottingham South) asked what total mobilisation costs have been incurred by Directly Operated Railways.

Claire Perry said:“The only franchise operated by Directly Operated Railways is InterCity East Coast. The costs for mobilising Directly Operated Railways to take over the running of that franchise in November 2009, as reported by the National Audit Office (NAO), were £5.6million.”

The full National Audit Office report is available on the NAO website at: www.nao.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2011/03/1011824.pdf”

SCOTLAND

The wide open spaces of the Highlands... ScotRail’s No. 156496 winds its way downgrade toward Rannoch viaduct with a Mallaig to Glasgow service. RAIL PHOTOPRINTS.CO.UK

BRITAIN’S LARGEST RAILWAY OPERATION

In terms of square mileage served, the ScotRail franchise has no peer and is also one of the most go-ahead in terms of expansion and electrification. Chris Milner looks at its history, development and future plans.

F

OR those of us living south of Hadrian’s Wall, Scotland’s railways have always held a special and fascinating enchantment. Many of its wonderful lines closed as a result of the Beeching axe in the 1960s, but where they still exist, they act as a lifeline to many remote rural communities.

The country’s network developed piecemeal in the mid-19th century but the myriad small companies were gradually absorbed into five pre-Grouping concerns – the Caledonian, Highland, Glasgow & South Western, North British and Great North of Scotland (see panel overleaf). At the Grouping in 1923, the first three were merged into the London, Midland & Scottish Railway and the other two became part of the London & North Eastern Railway.

Upon the formation of British Railways in 1948, the LMS and LNER areas of Scotland

were combined to form the Scottish Region, one of six BR divisions.

Modernisation began to make its presence felt in the late 1950s when the suburban network around Glasgow was electrified and ‘Blue Train’ EMUs arrived, displacing steam services. Steam formally ended in Scotland in 1967, and seven years later, electrification of the West Coast Main Line between London and Glasgow was completed, allowing introduction of fast InterCity electric services from London.

The ScotRail brand was created in September 1983 when BR was broken up into business sectors, that division being headed by Chris Green, who went on to create the Network SouthEast brand in 1986 before heading InterCity and later Virgin Trains.

When the process to privatise the railways began in the early 1990s, Scotland’s railways were part of BR’s Regional Railways sector. It

Scottish railways’most iconic location – the Forth Bridge, seen from the top of the infrastructure. CHRIS MILNER

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 17

SCOTLAND SCOTLAND’S PRE-GROUPING COMPANIES CALEDONIAN RAILWAY

THIS company was incorporated in 1845 and completed its main line from Carlisle to Glasgow via Beattock three years later.

Several amalgamations and takeovers followed, including the important one of the Scottish North Eastern Railway in 1866, which brought under the 'Caley' umbrella the strategic Perth-Aberdeen route.

The Caledonian was a partner in the West Coast Joint Stock arrangement and took great pride in helping to maintain EustonGlasgow/Aberdeen schedules against its great East Coast rival, the North British Railway.

On the freight front, the CR was fortunate in having a virtual monopoly in the Lanarkshire coalfield and also enjoyed numerous connections with the shipbuilding and dockyard areas of the Clyde.

Its total route mileage (including joint and leased lines) was 1,114 and it handed to the LMS 1,070 locomotives, 3,040 coaches, 1,786 service vehicles and 32, 136 goods wagons. Its main workshops were at St Rollox.

This fabulous signal gantry at Aberdeen is no more, but proved a perfect frame for A4 No. 60009 Union of South Africa during a railtour on September 6, 1980. BOB GREEN

NORTH BRITISH RAILWAY

THE NBR owed its inception to the York-based 'Railway King', George Hudson, who in 1842 invested £50,000 to ensure that his York & North Midland Railway could form part of an East Coast Anglo-Scottish route.

The first sections of the Edinburgh-Berwick main line opened four years later, and the company later built the Waverley route from Edinburgh to Carlisle, opened throughout in 1862.

A great leap forward came with the acquisition of the Edinburgh & Glasgow Railway, which not only linked Scotland's two largest cities, but gave it an important foothold in the heavily industrialised western side of the central Lowlands, much to the annoyance of the rival Caledonian Railway.

On the prestigious East Coast route, the NB was able to make great publicity out of its use of the world-famous Forth and Tay bridges but, beyond Kinnaber Junction, had to put up with running rights over the metals of its deadly rival in order to reach Aberdeen.

It did, however, build the West Highland line, which was completed to Mallaig in 1901.

In I923, the NBR handed to the LNER 1,377 miles of track, 1,075 locos, 3,500 passenger coaches and 57,000 wagons, making it the largest of the big five Scottish companies. Its main station was Edinburgh Waverley and its principal works was at Cowlairs.

GLASGOW & SOUTH WESTERN RAILWAY

INSOFAR as one of its components was the coal-carrying Kilmarnock & Troon Railway of 1811, the G&SW could claim to be the oldest of the Scottish LMS constituents. It was formed in 1850 by the amalgamation of a number of smaller companies and had a virtual monopoly of the south-western corner of Scotland.

Much of the G&SW's income stemmed from the coalfields and docks of Ayrshire, although it met stiff competition in those areas from the Caledonian.

Total route mileage of the 'Sou West', including joint sections, was 493 and it owned 528 locos, 1,604 coaches, 1,349 service vehicles and 19,252 goods wagons. The loco works were at Kilmarnock and the rolling stock shops at Barassie.

HIGHLAND RAILWAY

THE Highland began as an amalgam of smaller companies, the oldest of which was the Inverness & Nairn Railway. Merger under the HR banner took place in 1865 and, by 1874, the system had been extended to Wick and Thurso - the most northerly points on the British main line railway map.

The HR was for most of its life an impoverished railway. Its mostly single-track system was not conducive to high speed and traffic was insufficient to warrant feats of great haulage.

It possessed 505 miles of route, but only 173 locos, 799 coaches, 112 service vehicles and 2,718 goods wagons. The works were at Lochgorm, Inverness.

GREAT NORTH OF SCOTLAND RAILWAY

THE smallest of the main Scottish constituents, this railway served a primarily agricultural area and, being tucked well away from LNER headquarters, was in some respects able to continue much as it had before the Grouping.

Based in Aberdeen, it built its first line, to Huntly, in 1854, extending to Keith two years later. After opening a joint station with the Caledonian Railway at Aberdeen in 1867, the GNoSR went on virtually to monopolise Aberdeenshire.

At the Grouping, it handed over to its parent company 334 route miles and 122 locomotives, almost all of which were tender engines.

The GNoSR was physically isolated from the rest of the LNER, owing to its main feeder line from the south (Kinnaber Jct to Aberdeen) being in LMS ownership, which required the LNE to have running rights over 38 miles of ex-Caledonian route simply to gain access to its own territory. Locomotive affairs were dealt with at Kittybrewster for the first half-century, but, in 1902, a major works was opened at Inverurie.

18 • The Railway Magazine • October 2014

was a further three years before the franchise was let, and during that period, operations were run as a shadow franchise.

The first holder of the ScotRail franchise – last of the 25 to be awarded – was National Express (NX) with the contract effective from March 31, 1997 to October 16, 2004.

However, the Competition Commission ruled that this would give NX a monopoly on long-distance services in Scotland and so ordered the company to sell its Scottish Citylink bus operation.

Since then, ScotRail and the Scottish Government have been at the forefront of reopening and electrifying lines – to a far greater extent than England. There have been 21 new or reopened stations since the franchise was first let in 1997 (see panel).

The opening of the rebuilt and electrified Airdrie-Bathgate line in December 2010 as a fourth through route between Edinburgh and Glasgow has created new journey opportunities from the Ayrshire coast and North Clyde routes. Three more lines have reopened in that time and a fifth, the Borders Railway, is on

target to open next year (see p52). This support by Holyrood politicians is viewed with some jealousy by the English.

One of the first undertakings given by National Express (NX) was that it would work with Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT) to introduce a fleet of new three-car EMUs on several routes, including the flagship Edinburgh-Falkirk High-Glasgow line – and at a 15-minute frequency. Also promised was £1million worth of station investment and improvements on the ‘Caledonian Sleeper’.

The DMU order was confirmed in April 1998, and was for Class 170 ‘Turbostars’, which were to become the most successful small diesel unit built. They would allow veteran Class 101 and 117 units to be withdrawn as part of the phase out of slam-door trains.

In April 1998, NX and SPT announced an order worth £100m for 40 Class 334 electric trains. These would be Alstom ‘Juniper’ units and would replace the ageing Class 303 EMUs – the 1960-vintage ‘Blue Trains’, which had Gresley bogies. It was the start of the rail

Glasgow’s impressive Queen Street station on August 16 with Classes 158 and 170 in residence. NICK PIGOTT

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 19

BORDERS RAILWAY UPDATE

A LEGENDARY LINE C Rapid progress has been made this year on the reconstruction of the former Waverley route and sleepers are now being laid, as Ashley Butlin reports.

Pictures by Iona Butlin.

T

HERE is now less than a year until the Borders Railway is due to open in September 2015 and progress on reinstatement of a 30-mile section of the legendary Waverley route has made huge strides since the last Railway Magazine update in January.

The vast majority of the structural work is now complete and many of the 93,000 sleepers required are being laid out in preparation for the mechanised laying of rails, which is scheduled to begin in October. Large quantities of ballast are also appearing along the route.

Along the line, which will run from Newcraighall to Tweedbank, the upgrading of cuttings has been completed, new retaining walls installed and embankments strengthened with stone.

One of the major engineering feats of the project is the crossing of the A720 Edinburgh city bypass. Between September 2013 and this summer, a temporary dual-carriageway

Looking north from Shawfair, the sleepers for the double-track route are in place showing the course the line will take as it heads towards Millerhill Yard, where it will connect with the rest of the network at Newcraighall station.

52 • The Railway Magazine • October 2014

next to the existing bypass was in place, allowing a new underbridge to be built through both carriageways, but in June, the new bridge was commissioned and the A720 restored to its former alignment.

A number of bridges remain to be finished off, but the focus of activities this autumn will switch to tracklaying and construction of new stations. As illustrated in last month’s Headline News, track has already been laid inside Bowshank tunnel, north of Galashiels, using concrete slab track.

The line is double-track at this point and both lines were successfully laid through the 200-metre Victorian-built tunnel in August.

In addition, the first points were delivered to Tweedbank station and other locations in August.

At Shawfair and Eskbank, construction of platforms is well advanced, while at Newtongrange and Gorebridge, work has started. Further south at Stow, the first stages of platform construction are underway.

Shawfair, close to the northern end of the line, will provide rail transport for a new town comprising 4,000 new homes, along with two primary schools and a secondary school.

The old Waverley route had a number of level crossings, but there will be none on the new line. At Heriot and Fountainhall, new overbridges have been constructed with associated works on the adjacent A7 road.

The new link road into Heriot opened in the

OMES BACK TO LIFE

Twelve months ago, the all-new bridge over Hardengreen roundabout, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, was just an artist’s impression (see page 15, January issue). Now it is complete and awaiting the arrival of tracks.

The station at Shawfair is taking shape with both platforms now in place in this September 7 view.

Situated inside the Edinburgh city bypass, the area around the station is to be completely transformed as 4,000 new homes along with schools and businesses are built to form the new town of Shawfair.

summer, while the road to Fountainhall is almost ready for use.

In Galashiels, where residents have been subjected to disruption, with reconstruction of bridges resulting in months of road closures, work is underway to construct the town’s station and transport interchange.

To the south of Galashiels, Redbridge viaduct over the River Tweed has been modified to carry both the railway and a public footpath.

Tweedbank, which will be the southern terminus of the Borders Railway, will uniquely have a central lengthened island platform to allow it to be used for charter trains.

Emphasising this station’s future role as a railhead for the outlying Borders communities, it will also be served by a 240-space park-andride car park and bus interchange.

For visitors to the area, Abbotsford House, the historic home of author Sir Walter Scott – and the inspiration behind the original route being named the Waverley Line – will be a mere 20-minute walk from the station.

Next year, the first test trains will begin running along the route. With steam charters also planned for the line, it will not be too long before the hills of the Scottish Borders once again resound to the noise of a locomotive working hard on the climb to Falahill summit.

■ ■ An in-depth feature on the Waverley line rebuild, including a map, appeared in our January issue – Ed.

Left: Galashiels was once a major location on the original Waverley route, complete with station, goods yard and engine shed. All that infrastructure was swept away long ago to make way for a supermarket, so the new station will be a simpler affair on the right alongside the A7 road. It will, however, be linked to a travel interchange, the newly erected framework for which can be seen to the left of the road.

South of Galashiels, major work included excavation of a former cutting as the line ran under Winston Road and out over the Redbridge viaduct. The new bridge for Winston Road is nearing completion and should soon be reopened. Interestingly, part of the former bridge’s brick support was still visible in this September 7 view.

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 53

East Midlands Trains Class 156 No. 156403 approaches Belper through a series of five bridges with the 11.59 Matlock to Nottingham service on May 3. ROBIN STEWART-SMITH

60 • The Railway Magazine • October 2014

Sunset at the Tay Bridge on December 31, 2010, as a Class 170 scurries towards Dundee station. This picture won the Network Rail Lines in the Landscape award in the 2011 Landscape Photographer of the Year competition. SHAHBAZ MAJEED

Three Class 325 postal EMUs, Nos. 325008, 325011 and 325001, run through the rolling hills around Rowell, north of Carnforth, with train 1M44 from Shieldmuir to Warrington on June 3.

PHIL METCALFE

Dwarfed by the cooling towers of Ratcliffe power station,‘Super 60’ No. 60017 works along the down relief line near East Midlands Parkway, hauling 6E38, empty oil tanks from Colnbrook to Lindsey on May 2. JAMIE SQUIBBS

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 61

Meetings Are you staging an event you think should be on this page? Send brief details, no later than the 10th of the month before the issue you wish the event to appear in, to: Meetings, Railway Magazine, Media Centre, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR. Alternatively, email to railway@mortons.co.uk

MEETINGS WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Cheshire Lines. The Blossoms Hotel, Stockport.

19.30.‘Medium Format Charters’: Richard Newton.

Pennine Railway Society. The Salutation Inn, South Parade, Doncaster. 20.00.

Pennine slide competition and‘Around Doncaster 1961-1980 Steam to Diesel’: Geoff Warnes.

Southern Electric Group (Redhill branch).

Redhill Methodist Church, Gloucester Road, Redhill RH1 1BP. 19.30.‘Railway Diversity’: archive films from Alan Snowden.

Stephenson Locomotive Society (SLS).

Coney Hill Baptist Church, Coney Hill Road, West Wickham, Kent BR4 9BU. 19.30.

‘African Steam Safari’: David Eatwell.

Talking of Trains. Surbiton Library Hall, Ewell Road, Surbiton KT6 6AG. 19.00.

‘Behind The Scenes at the Mid-Hants Railway’: David Stonor.

Warwickshire Railway Society. Lamp Tavern, Barford Street, Highgate, Birmingham B5 6AH. 19.30.‘Broad Gauge Steam in Spain pre-1969’: Tony Bowles.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bath Railway Society. St Mary’s Church Hall, Bathwick, Bath. 19.30.

‘Rails to Avonmouth’: Gerry Nichols.

Great Central Railway Society (Sheffield branch). The Harlequin, 108 Nursery Street, Sheffield S3 8GG. 19.30.

‘Just a Few More Lines’: Ken Grainger.

Lutterworth Railway Society. United Reformed Church, George Street, Lutterworth, Leics LE17 4EF. 19.30.‘Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway - an Update on Developments’: Andrew Goodman.

Railway Correspondence and Travel Society (RCTS). The Crown, Market Square, Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes. 19.30.

‘Chunnel – The Inside Story’: Bernie Holland RCTS. The Arts Centre, 67 Westgate Road, Newcastle. 19.00. Annual meeting.

SLS. St John Ambulance Centre, Sandes Avenue, Kendal LA9 4LL. 19.15.‘Counting Heads, not Taking Numbers’: Robert and Dick Smith.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RCTS. St Peter’s Church Hall, Church Road, Filton, Bristol. 19.30.‘50 Years of Railway Photography (Part 2)’: Les Nixon.

RCTS. County Hotel, Lancaster Road, Carnforth.

19.30.‘The Story of Lizzie’: Clive Majonnier.

SLS. The Settlement Centre, Union Street, Middlesbrough TS1 5NQ. 19.00.‘Preservation from 1875 to the Present’: Bob Gwynne.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

RCTS. Friends’Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester M2 5NS. 14.00.‘The Archaeology of Early Steam Locomotives’: Dr Michael Bailey.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Mirfield Railway Enthusiasts’ Society.

Navigation Tavern, off Station Road, Mirfield WF14 8NL. 19.45.‘Mixed Traffic’: Gordon Reed.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway (Northallerton area group). Northallerton Town Cricket Club, Farndale Avenue, Northallerton DL7 8SN. 19.30. ’40 years of German Railways’: Dave Birtle.

Plymouth Railway Circle. St Edward’s Church Hall, Home Park Avenue, Peverell, Plymouth PL3 4PG. 19.30.‘Railways in the Landscape’: Michael Beale.

Railway and Canal Historical Society (London group). The Rugby Tavern, Rugby Street (off Lamb’s Conduit Street), London WC1N 3ES. 18.30.‘British Track Since 1804’: Andrew Dow. RCTS. The Elwick Club, Church Road, Ashford 19.30.

‘The History of Network South East’: Chris Green.

RCTS. Christ Church Community Hall, Burney Lane, Ward End, Birmingham. 14.00.‘Steaming through Britain, with GB Productions’: Graham Briggs.

Rowley Regis Railway Society. Somers Sports & Social Club, Grange Hill, Halesowen B62 0JH. 19.30.

‘Britain’s Railways Through the Lens’: Jack Boskett.

Stafford Railway Society, Amasal Club, St Albans Road, Stafford, ST16 3BR. Joint meeting with CRC.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Enfield Transport Circle. First Floor Meeting Room, The Drill Hall Sports Club, Old Park Avenue, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 6PJ. 20.00.

‘The Post Office (London) Railway: 1927-2003’: Chris Taft (British Postal Museum & Archive).

Gravesend Railway Enthusiasts’ Society.

Emmanuel Baptist Church, Windmill Street, Gravesend DA12 1BB (near to Gravesend station).

19.45.‘Medway Aircraft Preservation Society’: TBC. Rugby Railway Circle. Rugby United Railwaymens’ Club, Railway Terrace, Rugby. 20.00.

‘The Fall & Rise of BR Steam’: Ralph Ward.

Southern Electric Group (South Hampshire branch) and Light Rail Transit Association (Southern area). Eastleigh Railway Institute in Romsey Road, Eastleigh. 19.30.

‘Southampton Trams’: Martin Petch.

A view from atop one of Immingham’s coal loaders shows EWS Class 66 No. 66137 working through the iron ore loading hopper on April 27, 2012. The dock and its 100-year history is the subject of a talk on October 16 at Lutterworth. CHRIS MILNER RCTS. Beechen Grove Baptist Church, 28 Beechen Grove, Watford. 19.30.

‘Strictly Freight Only – Part 2’: Brian Ringer.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Basingstoke & District Railway Society.

Wote St Club, New Road, Basingstoke RG21 7NG. 19.45.‘The Railways of the Exe and Culm Valleys’: Michael Pym. Bromsgrove Railway Club. St Godwald’s Church Hall, Aston Fields B60 2EA. 19.45.

‘Steaming Around Great Britain’: Graham Briggs.

Huddersfield Railway Circle. Old Court Room, Town Hall, Huddersfield. 19.45.

‘Great Central Class 180 Operation’: Sam Marchant, Fleet Technical Manager.

Oxfordshire Railway Society. Seacourt Day Centre, Seacourt Road, Botley, Oxford OX2 9LD. 19.30.‘The Development of Railway Track’: Peter Lugg, PW Engineer.

RCTS. Old Church Rooms, Park Road, Radyr, Cardiff.

19.30.‘All the Colours of the Rainbow’: David Walker.

RCTS. Hitchin Christian Centre, Bedford Road, Hitchin. 19.30.

‘That Was the Year That Was 1964’: Geoff Plumb.

SLS. The Scout and Guide Headquarters, Godalming. 14.30.

‘Military Railway Infrastructure in World War Two and Faslane Military Railway and Port (1940-1983)’: Dr Mike Walshaw.

Talking of Trains. Surbiton Library Hall, Ewell Road, Surbiton KT6 6AG, 19.00.

‘5 and 9 The Brighton Line’: Ron Hart.

5575 Madras-Much Wenlock. Priory Hall, Bull Ring, Much Wenlock TF13 6HQ. 19.30.

‘Paddington to New York with Isambard Kingdom Brunel’: Richard Gibbon OBE. Proceeds in aid of Macmillan Cancer. Advance tickets available from Gordon Wood on (01694) 771878.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Continental Railway Circle. St Paul’s Church Centre, Rossmore Road, Marylebone, London NW1 6NJ. 19.15.

‘On Six Castilian Feet - Broad Gauge Railways of Spain’– a Digital Presentation’: Tony Bowles.

Nuneaton Railway Circle. Chilvers Coton Conservative Club, Bridge Street, Nuneaton CV11 5UD. 20.00.‘Blue is the Colour’: Russ Watkins.

RCTS. The Arts Centre, 67 Westgate Road, Newcastle. 19.00.‘American Wanderings – the Great Plains Drifter’: Gordon Davies.

Severn Valley Railway (Cheshire branch).

The Boarhound, Brook Street, Macclesfield. 19.45.

‘People and Places’: Paul Shackcloth.

SRPS. Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh. 14.30.

‘The Waverley Route’: Ken Falconer.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation.

Altrincham Methodist Church Hall, Barrington

Road, Altrincham, Cheshire WA14 1HF. 19.30.

‘The Archaeology of Early Steam Locomotives’: Dr Michael Bailey MBE. GCR Leics Area Supporters Group. Church Hall, Church Lane, (opposite Quorndon Fox pub), Quorn, Leics. 19.30. ’Scottish Lowlands and Borders in the 1960s’: Michael Clemens.

Great Western Society (GWS). Lawn Community Centre, Guildford Ave, off Windsor Road, Lawn, Swindon SN3 1JE. 19.30.

‘Didcot & the GWS – Part II’: Richard Antliffe.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Bournemouth Railway Club. Avon Room, Winton Methodist Community Centre, junction of Alma Road and Heron Court Road, Bournemouth BH9 1DE. 14.30.

‘A Fourth Colour-Rail Journey’: Paul Chancellor.

Cornwall Railway Society. The Community Centre, Foundry Row, Redruth. 18.30.

‘Ruabon to Barmouth and Beyond’: Martin Davies.

Ffestiniog Railway (Hants & Sussex area group).

The Physic Garden, 16 The High Street, Petersfield.

19.30.‘Java Sugar Railways’: Brian Johnson.

Midland Railway Society, Sheffield.

The Showroom, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield S1 2BX. From 11.00 – talk 13.30.

‘Midland Railway Staff Records’: Glynn Waite.

SLS. Kidderminster Railway Museum, adjoining SVR station DY10 1QX. 14.00.

‘Siberian Yorkshire’: Ken Mumford.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Lincoln Railway Society. St Hugh’s Church, Harewood Crescent, North Hykeham, Lincoln LN6 8JG. 19.30.‘The History of Toton Marshalling Yards’: Brian Amos and Phil Burton.

Matlock Railway Club. Duke William, 91 Church Street, Matlock, Derbyshire. 19.30.

‘Prehistoric Railways in Derbyshire’: Trevor Griffin.

RCTS. Small Hall, East Croydon United Reformed Church, Addiscombe Grove, Croydon. 19.30.

‘The Narrow Gauge Railways of the Royal Arsenal’: Ian Bull.

RCTS. The Bridge Ward Club, 68 Austin Street, Ipswich. 19.30.

‘The Inter City Story 1964-1994’: Chris Green.

RCTS. Sheffield Scout Headquarters, 60-68 Trippett Lane, Sheffield. 19.15.

‘The Last Two Years of BR Steam’: Ken Horan.

Southern Electric Group (Sussex branch).

Deall Room, Southwick Community Centre, Southwick BN42 4TE. 19.30.

‘A Third Colour-Rail Journey’: Paul Chancellor.

SLS. Lauriston Hotel, 15 South Crescent Road, Ardrossan KA22 8EA. 19.30.

‘Accidental Author’: C Vine.

York Railway Circle. Library, Archbishop Holgate’s School, Hull Road, York YO10 5ZA. 19.30.

‘Route Of The Master Cutler’: Ken Grainger.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GWS. BAWA, 589 Southmead Road, Filton, Bristol

BS34 7RG. 19.45.‘Old Railway Stations of the Bristol Area’: Mike Oakley.

RCTS. Nottingham Mechanics, 3 North Sherwood Street, Nottingham. 19.00. Annual meeting. 19:30.

‘Humberside Railway Memories’: John Foreman.

Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS).

Vestry Hall, Holy Trinity Scottish Episcopal Church, Avon Street, Motherwell. 19.30.

‘My Cine Films from 1958 Onwards’: W Stuart Sellar.

Wells Railway Fraternity. Wells Town Hall. 19.30.

‘The GWS Steam Railmotor’: Peter Jennings.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pennine Railway Society. The Salutation Inn, South Parade, Doncaster. 20.00. TBA: Rhys Jones.

RCTS/Mid-Hants Railway. Eastleigh Railway Institute, Romsey Road, Eastleigh. 19.30.

‘925 Project’: Chris Smith.

Talking of Trains. Surbiton Library Hall, Ewell Road, Surbiton KT6 6AG. 19.00.

‘Every Little Helps’: Dick Crane.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Aln Valley Railway. Old Waiting Room, Alnwick Station. 19.15.

‘Bob’s European Wanderings’: Bob Payne.

Irish Railway Record Society (London area).

The Exmouth Arms, 1 Starcross Street, London, NW1 2HR. 1900.‘Railway Preservation Society of Ireland: Fifty Not Out’: Charles Friel BEM. Lutterworth Railway Society. United Reformed Church, George Street, Lutterworth, Leics LE17 4EF. 19.30.‘100 Years of Immingham Docks - the History of the GC-built Docks’: Bob Gellatly.

Ffestiniog Railway Society (Bristol group).

BAWA Club, Southmead Road, Bristol. 19.45.

‘Marketing the 40 Mile Railway’: Andrew Thomas.

Marlow & District Railway Society. Bourne End Community Centre, Bourne End, Bucks SL8 5SX. 19.45.‘Poster to Poster’: Richard Furness.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway (Northallerton area group). Northallerton Town Cricket Club, Farndale Avenue, Northallerton DL7 8SN. 14.00.‘The Richmond and Catterick Branches’: John Young.

RCTS. The CIU Club, 85 High Northgate, Darlington.

19:00.‘Autocar and Carriages’: Stephen Middleton.

SLS. St John’s United Reformed Church Hall, Mowbray Road, New Barnet, Herts EN5 1RH. 19.30.‘Cross Rail’: Patrick Griffin.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gosport Railway Society. Methodist Church, Stoke Road, Gosport. 20.00.

‘Steam Around Bournemouth’: Peter Keat.

Plus photographic competition.

GWS. Village Hall, Stoke St Mary, Taunton TA3 5DE. 19.30.‘8.35am from Waterloo’: Simon Foote.

Purbeck Railway Circle. Harmans Cross Village Hall, Haycrafts Lane, Harmans Cross, Dorset. 19.30.

Joint meeting with Purbeck Film Festival, showing the 1938 French film‘La Bete Humaine,’ which was filmed at Le Havre with extensive railway content.

October 2014 • The Railway Magazine • 69