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| 07/02/2009 | |
| The first new mainline steam engine to be built in Britain for nearly five decades is making its first long-distance passenger trip into London. |
60163 Tornado about to depart from Newcastle Central on Saturday 31 January 2009 having arrived from York earlier at the head of The Peppercorn Pioneer. See news item.
[Colin Alexander 31/01/2009] |
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| BBC News Item | |
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| 06/02/2009 | |
| A WALKWAY is to be constructed across the roof of a city shopping centre to help disabled people access Waverley Station.
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Temporary entrance to Waverley north side from Princes Mall on 8 June 2006. This arrangement will apply only until the station walkway link to Waverley Steps has been replaced.
[John Furnevel 08/06/2006] | 
Hmmphhh!!! Sunday morning guard duty! With the Waverley Steps entrance to the station closed off, a temporary entrance to Waverley station has been opened up through Princes Mall. View from Princes Street on 14 May 2006.
[John Furnevel 14/05/2006] |
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| Evening News Item | |
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| 06/02/2009 | |
| The West Highland line from Glasgow to Mallaig has been voted the best rail journey in the world. |
Mallaig train crossing Morar Viaduct in August 1985.
[Ian Dinmore /08/1985] | 
Train from Mallaig heads for Fort William shortly after leaving Morar station in September 2005.
[John Furnevel /09/2005] | 
Crossing Keppoch Moss south of Morar.
[Ewan Crawford //] |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 05/02/2009 | |
| A fire in a building containing gas cylinders in Motherwell closes a small section of the west coast main line. |
A Lanark - Dalmuir train, formed by unit 318 266, pulls into Shieldmuir station on 22 March 2006.
[John Furnevel /03/2006] |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 05/02/2009 | |
| Work is to be carried out at level crossing barriers on the Stirling to Kincardine rail link after they jammed 21 times. |
Showers threaten Blackgrange crossing on the new Alloa Line. This crossing is mainly used in conjunction with numerous large whisky bonded warehouses to rear of camera.
[Brian Forbes 24/03/2008] | 
All crossing on the New SAK line have these identity notices.
This one at Waterside, Causewayhead.
[Brian Forbes 24/03/2008] | 
A Longannet coal train on the direct route via Stirling and Alloa about to run over Cambus level crossing on 22 December 2008 behind EWS 66159.
[John Furnevel 22/12/2008] |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 04/02/2009 | |
| A young vandal is scrubbing the slate clean by helping to clean up a railway bridge in Edinburgh after being caught red handed.
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Miscellaneous graffiti covering the exit from the down platform at Clapham High Street station in July 2005.
[John Furnevel /07/2005] |
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| Network Rail Article | |
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| 03/02/2009 | |
| Over three quarters of the rail network is open and available for train services today, with almost all major routes open this morning. Network Rail staff worked exhaustively overnight to clear the rail infrastructure for train services. |
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| Network Rail Article | |
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| 02/02/2009 | |
| Paddington station, already one of Network Rail’s most loved, is being opened up to the light with the restoration of the roof over the fourth span of the station.
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Paddington from the overbridge, July 2005.
[John Furnevel 20/07/2005] | 
Paddington, from the concourse, July 2005.
[John Furnevel 20/07/2005] | 
An agressive looking Heathrow Express stands at Paddington on 20 July 2005, with its minder bearing more than a passing resemblance to Vinnie (watch your head in the door sir) Jones.
[John Furnevel 20/07/2005] |
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| Network Rail Article | |
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| 02/02/2009 | |
| Of the many reasons to complain about the railways, being too punctual is not normally one. Yet a rail boss is complaining that his company stands to lose money because too many trains arrive on time. [From Mark Bartlett] |
Driver takes the air at the cab door of 86621, held at Carstairs with the Basford Hall - Coatbridge containers, as he awaits a passing train - in this case a GNER Kings Cross - Glasgow Central service off the Edinburgh line.
[John Furnevel 24/05/2007] | 
EWS 66025 brings the 1155 Chalmerston - Rugeley coal train out of the up loop at Abington and onto the WCML on 31 January 2007 having been sidelined for a passing Pendolino.
[John Furnevel 31/01/2007] | 
40030 on a northbound freight held in the down loop at Berwick for a passing InterCity 125 Kings Cross - Edinburgh working in August 1981
[John Furnevel 10/08/1981] |
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| The Times | |
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| 02/02/2009 | |
| Rail services operating in the south east are being severely affected by the weather this morning. Passengers are strongly advised to check before they travel by consulting train operators' website and National Rail Enquiries on http://www.nationalrail.co.uk
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25233 with a freight in the snow at Dufftown on 5 February 1979.
[Peter Todd 05/02/1979] | 
The long wait. View south at Kinbrace in the snows of 1992.
[Ian Dinmore //1992] | 
Off to the tip... spoil train leaving the washery at a snowy Waterside on 1 December 1969.
[John Furnevel 01/12/1969] |
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| Network Rail Article | |
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| 01/02/2009 | |
| Workers at Longannet power station continue wildcat strike action as the row over the use of foreign contractors escalates. |
Coal - swallower extraordinaire. Longannet power station looking south towards the Forth in June 2005. Longannet consumes approximately 10,000 tonnes of coal per day and has an installed capacity of 2,400 megawatts, making it the third largest coal-fired power station in Europe after Belchatow, Poland and Drax, North Yorkshire.
[John Furnevel /06/2005] |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 31/01/2009 | |
| The first main line steam locomotive to be built in Britain for almost 50 years sets out today on her maiden voyage from York to Newcastle. |
60163 Tornado about to depart from Newcastle Central on Saturday 31 January 2009 having arrived from York earlier at the head of The Peppercorn Pioneer. See news item.
[Colin Alexander 31/01/2009] |
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| Sky News Item | |
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| 31/01/2009 | |
| The last three remaining trucks are removed from a rail line in East Ayrshire after a train fire on Tuesday. |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 31/01/2009 | |
| PLANS for non-stop trains taking four hours between Edinburgh and London have been rejected by rail regulators |
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| Evening News Item | |
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| 29/01/2009 | |
| A TWO storey visitor centre is part of a revolutionary new housing development, based on the design of a Roman fort, which is being lined up to replace the Ravenstruther coal loading terminal. |
Freightliner 66509 approaches the buffer stops on the reversing spur at Ravenstruther shortly after leaving the West Coast Main Line (above which the overhead mast in the foreground stands) on 15 May 2008. The locomotive will reverse its empties along the siding in the centre of the picture and under the loading stage which is located off to the right. The solitary coal hopper on the left stands in the crippled waggon siding.
[John Furnevel 15/05/2008] | 
The coal loading terminal at Ravenstruther in December 2004.
[John Furnevel /12/2004] |
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| Lanark Gazette | |
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| 28/01/2009 | |
| A wildlife charity believes oil from a derailed train has affected dozens of wild birds several miles away. |
Are you talking to me? A curious young Buzzard lands on a catenary mast near the bridge at Dirleton on the North Berwick branch, eager to discover what the eejit with the camera is playing at.
[John Furnevel 02/10/2007] |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 28/01/2009 | |
| An investigation is under way into a freight train derailment in East Ayrshire which brought down power lines. |
The old Stewarton station, photographed looking along the northbound platform towards Dunlop in June 1974. Single line working had been introduced by that time and lifting of the former southbound line was in progress with some removed sections of track stored on the redundant platform.
[Colin Miller 19/06/1974] | 
Milepost 18 midway between Stewarton Viaduct and a roadbridge over the A735 where a fuel oil train heading south for Riccarton derailed on 27 January 2009. New points for a dynamic loop seem to be in the field nearby.
[Ewan Crawford /01/2008] | 
View north at Stewarton on 17 June.
[John Furnevel 17/06/2006] |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 27/01/2009 | |
| Six leading teams of architects have been short-listed to develop their ideas for a brand new public square for London at King’s Cross station.
Bigger than Leicester Square, the new square at King’s Cross station is one of the most important schemes of its kind for the capital, giving London its first dedicated open approach to a major station.
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Kings Cross seen looking south west from above Gasworks Tunnel in July 2005.
[John Furnevel /07/2005] | 
Remembrance garden outside Kings Cross station in memory of those killed in the London bombings of 7 July 2005, seen 16 days later.
[John Furnevel 23/07/2005] | 
Kings Cross station, looking west along Euston Road in July 2005.
[John Furnevel /07/2005] |
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| Network Rail Article | |
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| 27/01/2009 | |
| A freight train transporting oil and diesel derails and catches fire in East Ayrshire, police say. |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 26/01/2009 | |
| Drinking hot coffee on a bus is normally a bad idea, but passengers will be encouraged to try it on a new service that promises to be as smooth as the most modern train. [From Mark Bartlett] |
Looking along the platforms of the closed station at Histon, on the St Ives, Cambridgeshire, branch in 1981. The 1847 former station building is shown after being taken over by a flooring company. [Ed note: The branch closed to passengers in 1970 with closure of the final freight-only section of the line occurring in 1992. It is planned to convert the former branch into the worlds longest guided busway with effect from the summer of 2009 - see news item.]
[Ian Dinmore //1981] | 
Part of the Edinburgh guided busway system at Saughton on 18 June 2008. The route is destined to carry trams in due course.
[Bill Roberton 18/06/2008] |
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| The Times | |
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| 24/01/2009 | |
| An 18-year-old killed by a train at a level crossing may have been distracted by his music player or phone, police say. |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 23/01/2009 | |
| CONTRACTORS digging up the old Harbour Band Arena site next to Morecambe's Midland Hotel got quite a surprise when they discovered train tracks from decades ago under the paving stones. [From Mark Bartlett] |
The view inland from Morecambe Harbour showing the famous art deco Midland Hotel that was built opposite Morecambe Promenade station and across the former Harbour Line formation in the 1930s. The Midland, a former railway hotel, was closed for many years but was refurbished and reopened again in June 2008.
[Mark Bartlett 17/05/2008] |
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| Visitor News Item | |
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| 21/01/2009 | |
| Traffic on the A9 could be significantly reduced if more Highland businesses used a new rail freight service to transport goods to the central belt, it was claimed yesterday [From Gus Carnegie] |
Names to conjure with - TDG, Malcolm, Stobart, Tesco...scene at the WHM depot, Grangemouth on 21 September 2006.
[John Furnevel 21/09/2006] | 
Locomotive and freight stand in the shadows in one of the sheds at WHM, Grangemouth in Jan 2006. The windows of Fouldubs Junction SB can be seen between the M9 motorway supports.
[John Furnevel /01/2006] | 
A pair of class 37s with a container train - unloading completed - at WHM Grangemouth in January 2005.
[John Furnevel /01/2005] |
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| P&J Article | |
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| 19/01/2009 | |
| Michael Matheson MSP launches a public consultation to assess the demand for a new station at Bonnybridge. |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 18/01/2009 | |
| A NEW rail freight interchange, which is expected to take thousands of lorries off the A9, will be formally opened next week by the Scottish Government’s transport minister. [From Gus Carnegie] |
DRS 66433 departs Inverness with containers for Grangemouth on Chrismas Eve 2008 passing 67011 standing in the background.
[John Gray 24/12/2008] | 
The old carriage cleaning sidings at Inverness have been replaced with this container handling facility. Stobart Rail delivers containers for Tesco here every day except Sunday. 66411 in Stobart Rail livery has brought in the train on 6 December.
[John Gray 06/12/2008] |
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| Press and Journal Item | |
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| 16/01/2009 | |
| Network Rail has committed £1.5m to restoring Coatbridge’s two iconic railway bridges.
The project will require old layers of paint to be stripped from the structure, with repairs made to any fatigued metal before new layers of paint applied to preserve the steel. The bridge will be painted in traditional railway colours.
The project, which will begin on 19 January and be completed by the end of March, will restore the bridges to their former glory and help to extend the lifespan of the bridges for decades to come
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Looking east from below the bridge leaving Coatbridge Central towards the lattice girder bridge carrying the Sunnyside - Whifflet South Junction freight line over the Monkland Canal basin in Jan 2007.
[John Furnevel /01/2007] | 
A Cumbernauld - Motherwell service, photographed shortly after leaving Coatbridge Central on 27 August 2006 and crossing the plate girder bridge over the Monkland Canal basin.
[John Furnevel 27/08/2006] |
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| Network Rail Article | |
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| 15/01/2009 | |
| POLLOKSHIELDS HERITAGE, the local conservation and amenity society, has ‘adopted’ Maxwell Park station with their refurbishment of the former Booking Office - assisted by Glasgow City Council, the Railway Heritage Trust and First ScotRail - for use as a small community meeting venue and exhibition area.
Officiating at the latest development in the saga of the station where he played such a prominent role throughout his youth is JACK KERNAHAN, former local resident and railway historian who ‘spent some of the happiest days of his life’ in the building, helping to maintain the platform gardens, operating the booking office and generally helping the station staff.
“I used to study for University exams in the Station Master's room...lovely warmth from the stove! We had a small railway museum in the SM's room from 1966 to 1971.”
On this occasion Jack will present the original map of the area which hung in the booking office – and the last station master’s hat! – restoring them to their former location. His friend and ally from those earlier days, Hamish Stevenson, a noted railway photographer, will also be attending.
An Options Appraisal for the re-use of the whole of the station premises was carried out on behalf of Pollokshields Heritage by the Glasgow Building Preservation Trust in 2007-8. But notwithstanding the wide range of interests attracted to the station building, it concluded that the costs of regenerating the whole building currently prohibit any potential funder.
While the outstanding issues are being addressed, Pollokshields Heritage is taking the lead towards sustainable re-occupation of the whole of this iconic building with their refurbishment of the former Booking Office.
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The driver of 314 208 bound for Newton on 9 August checks the doors on the monitors before leaving Maxwell Park.
[David Panton 09/08/2008] | 
A station qualifying for the Special category. Maxwell Park 2007.
[John Furnevel /05/2007] | 
Maxwell Park 2007 - entrance from Fotheringay Road.
[John Furnevel /05/2007] |
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| 15/01/2009 | |
| Network Rail today welcomed the Government’s announcement of potential further rail expansion and the key role that the company will play in developing proposals.
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| Network Rail Article | |
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| 15/01/2009 | |
| The UK Government is forming a company to consider the case for new high speed rail services from London to Scotland. |
A TGV service from Paris arrives at Lausanne in 1990.
[John Furnevel //1990] | 
An SNCF TGV service stands at Paris Nord terminus in January 1994.
[John Furnevel /01/1994] |
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| BBC News Article | |
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| 13/01/2009 | |
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| Network Rail Article | |
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