| 19/04/2018 | North-east heritage railway moves forward [Press and Journal] |
| Two enthusiasts behind ambitious plans for a brand new north-east heritage railway are hoping to get their proposals on track.
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BR Standard class 2 2-6-0 78045 photographed near Tillynaught Junction on 23 August 1963 with a train for Banff. [Ref query 1003]
Tillynaught
[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 23/08/1963] | 
BR Standard tank 80121 prepares to leave Tillynaught Junction in the summer of 1960 with a train for Elgin via the coast.
Tillynaught
[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 18/08/1960] | 
BR Standard tank 80121 entering Tillynaught Junction on 18 August 1960 with a train destined for Elgin via the coast.
Tillynaught
[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 18/08/1960] |
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| Press and Journal  | |
| Banff, Portsoy and Strathisla Railway | |
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| 19/04/2018 | Cattle die after being struck by train in Moray [BBC Scotland] |
| No-one on the train was hurt but there was some disruption to services between Aberdeen and Inverness. [The location was between Elgin and Lhanbryde.]
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| Press and Journal | |
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| 19/04/2018 | Calls for new railway station at Parkhead [Scotsman] |
| An SNP MSP is asking the Scottish Government to consider construction of a new railway station at Parkhead Forge, which would become part of the Airdrie line.
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Fairburn tank 42207 at Parkhead (NB) on 29 April 1950 with the SLS (Scottish Area) Glasgow rail tour. This local Saturday afternoon tour, which started at Central and finished at St Enoch, included shed visits to Balornock and Parkhead. [Editors note: The station was renamed Parkhead North in 1952 and closed in 1958]
Parkhead North
[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 29/04/1950] | 
N2 0-6-2T 69507 passing the site of Parkhead North station in May 1958 with a Hyndland - Shettleston train.
Parkhead North
[G H Robin collection by courtesy of the Mitchell Library, Glasgow 01/05/1958] |
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| Scotsman | |
| Parkhead North | |
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| 19/04/2018 | Moray residents to question Scotrail Alliance managing director over rail services [Press and Journal] |
| Moray residents who believe rail services have gone off track will have the chance to question the managing director of Scotrail Alliance at a public meeting later this month.
Richard Lochhead MSP will chair the event at Elgin Town Hall on Monday, April 30 when passengers from the region will be able to discuss topics of concern with rail boss Alex Hynes.
Mr Lochhead said he had been made aware of problems with reliability of services, fare anomalies and seat shortages by a number of residents.
Those issues have been raised despite significant ongoing improvement to the rail network across Moray as a result of an £80million investment by the Scottish Government.
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| Press and Journal | |
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| 18/04/2018 | How Dutch stations help blind travellers [BBC News] |
| For blind or partially-sighted people, going to the train station can present lots of challenges.
In the Netherlands, subtle details in the way stations are set out make a big difference.
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| BBC News | |
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| 18/04/2018 | Network Rail awards £10m Highland mainline contract [Network Rail] |
| Network Rail has awarded Bam Nuttall a contract for upgrade works to the Highland mainline to help reduce journey times for customers.
The award is part of an overall £57million Scottish Government-funded investment in the line linking Inverness and the central belt.
It will see infrastructure work carried out at Aviemore to extend the section of double-track to the north of the station.
At Pitlochry, the track and two platforms will be extended. Signalling systems at both stations will also be altered and upgraded.
The work will allow ScotRail's longer InterCity trains (HSTs), which will start to be introduced on the route later this year, to pass each other more efficiently at both stations.
It is intended to help deliver an hourly service, with average journeys cut by around 10 minutes, while also allowing improvements to the times of the first and last trains between Inverness and the central belt.
In addition, a better distribution of calls at stations between Perth and Inverness is expected.
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A Class 170 with a southbound service at Pitlochry on 4th October 2017. Will all 170s be banished when the HSTs come on stream next year? Let^s see. 170s have been around in Scotland for (incredibly) 18 years. When first delivered they had payphones
- which I never once saw used.
Pitlochry
[David Panton 04/10/2017] | 
A main line service passes a loco built for ^Pitlochry in Bloom^ by HMP Castle Huntly in 2002.
Pitlochry
[John Yellowlees 30/03/2017] | 
The former Longmorn distillery Ruston & Hornsby 0-4-0DM shunter Queen Anne [works no 265618/1948] in the SRS shed yard at Aviemore in September 2004 [see image 53716].
Aviemore
[John Furnevel 19/09/2004] |
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| Press and Journal | |
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| 18/04/2018 | Royal Mail to vacate Inverness Strothers Lane [Friends of the Far North Line] |
| An extract from a Press Release by the Friends of the Far North Line:
Last week Royal Mail announced that it is to vacate its site in Strothers Lane, west of Inverness Railway Station. This releases the land between the present bus station and the railway station, allowing the construction of a new interchange by relocating the bus station to be next to the railway station.
The Friends of the Far North Line campaigns for improvements for travellers using the railway between Inverness and Thurso/Wick, and onwards to Orkney. A frequent element of our campaigning concerns the lack of easy inter modal interchange which sometimes makes travelling by public transport unattractive.
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Lever frame - Inverness station - May 2002.
Inverness
[John Furnevel 01/05/2002] | 
A general view of Inverness. On the right are the far north platforms with 158 778 heading a four car train. In the foreground is the rusted track of the former harbour branch which now ends in two sidings. On the left stands the carriage shed. Centre left is the re-roofed Lochgorm Works and in the right background the main station building.
Inverness
[John Gray 20/10/2007] |
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| Friends of the Far North Press Release | |
| Friends of the Far North | |
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| 18/04/2018 | New windscreens for Hitachi 385s to be fitted in Scotland [Rail] |
| Once a final design for new windscreens has been approved for ScotRail Class 385s, the modifications will be carried out at Knorr-Bremse Rail Services at Springburn.
The electric multiple units, built by Hitachi, are currently unable to enter traffic after problems were encountered with the drivers view during mileage accumulation testing.
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A full-size mock up of the interior of ScotRail^s new class 385s has been erected at Edinburgh Waverley^s east end, seen here on 10 February 2016. This features first and standard class seating.
Passengers can look forward to more leg room, larger tables and windows, and power sockets.
So, not a modern art installation then.
Edinburgh Waverley
[John Yellowlees 10/02/2016] | 
One of the new ScotRail Class 385 electric multiple units, which can be regularly seen at Gourock where they are currently being tested overnight. Photograph taken on 9 January 2017. (Pictures are also available in Inverclydenow.com)
Gourock
[Brian Thompson 09/01/2017] | 
Mock up image of a Hitachi Rail Europe Class 385 AT200 train for Abellio^s ScotRail franchise at Queen Street. 70 of these are due to enter service in 2017/2018.
Courtesy Hitachi Rail Europe.
Glasgow Queen Street High Level
[Hitachi Rail Europe 12/03/2015] |
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| Rail | |
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| 16/04/2018 | ScotRail staff threaten strike action on Scottish Cup weekend [Scotsman] |
| A union has threatened to consult members over striking on the weekend of the Scottish Cup final in a row over ScotRail CCTV-monitoring staff.
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| Scotsman | |
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| 16/04/2018 | British trains miss out stations 1,000 times a week – and GTR are the worst [Independent] |
| 'Failure to stop' incidents on Southern have increased by a quarter in four years
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| Independent | |
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| 16/04/2018 | Trains across Britain missed stops 160 times a day, figures reveal [BBC Scotland] |
| Network Rail figures released to the BBC show more than 52,000 trains skip stops in less than a year.
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| BBC Scotland | |
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| 13/04/2018 | New second platform at Dunbar moves a step closer [Network Rail] |
| Network Rail's proposals for step-free access to a new second platform at Dunbar Station have been approved by East Lothian Council.
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SB Rail Tamper 73904 ‘Thomas Telford’’ seen from a passing VT East Coast service.
Dunbar
[Colin McDonald 22/09/2017] | 
1633 ex-Waverley ScotRail train terminating at Dunbar.
Dunbar
[John Yellowlees 25/09/2017] | 
Commuters alighting from the 1633 at Dunbar.
Dunbar
[John Yellowlees 25/09/2017] |
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| 13/04/2018 | Kerse Road closure set to begin [Network Rail] |
| Network Rail's demolition and reconstruction of the bridge over the railway at Kerse Road in Stirling is about to enter its next phase.
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| Network Rail | |
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| 12/04/2018 | Blackpool to Preston railway to reopen following major upgrade [Network Rail] |
| Re-introduction of train services to Blackpool North from Monday 16 April. The railway between Preston and Blackpool North is set to reopen next Monday (16 April) as the transformation of train travel across the north of England continues.
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| Network Rail | |
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| 11/04/2018 | FirstGroup rejects takeover bid from US equity group Apollo [Guardian] |
| Bus and rail company FirstGroup has rejected a takeover approach from the American private equity group Apollo, the British transport operator has announced.
After shares rose more than 7% during trading on Wednesday amid rumours of a takeover bid, the board of FirstGroup issued a statement confirming an initial proposal had been made by Apollo Management but had been unanimously rejected, dismissing it as opportunistic.
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| Guardian | |
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| 10/04/2018 | Seven new railway stations are on the way for the West Midlands [Express and Star] |
| Seven new railway stations are on the way for the West Midlands - including one at the Merry Hill shopping centre and another at West Midland Safari Park.
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| Express and Star | |
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| 10/04/2018 | Ballater rail station on track to open for summer after £3million project [Press and Journal] |
| A [former] Deeside train station damaged in a huge fire will reopen in time to capitalise on this years lucrative tourist season.
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Ballater Station under restoration after the fire in May 2015.
Ballater
[Bill Roberton 24/03/2018] | 
View over the rear of the fire damaged Ballater station on the morning of 14 April 2017, with the camera held at full stretch above the barrier.
Ballater
[Andy Furnevel 14/04/2017] |
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| Press and Journal | |
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| 09/04/2018 | Those were the days 1930: The Glasgow railway station that time forgot [Herald] |
| A LONG chapter in Glasgows transport history came to a quiet end, not long before midnight on Sunday, November 6, 1966. The departure of the 11.25pm train to Inverness out of the old Caledonian Railways Buchanan Street station marked the close of the stations 117 years of service. Henceforth the train would leave from Queen Street station - the stronghold, as the Glasgow Heralds Samuel Hunter column pointed out, of North British and L.N.E.R. interests in nearly a century of railway rivalry. Well, we may feel our old loyalties, the Buchanan Street station-master, John Orr, said, but we are all British Railways people now. Mr Orr was being given a temporary posting to Queen Street. Most of his staff at Buchanan Street - and there were 120 of them in all, what with clerks, inspectors, signalmen, ticket-collectors, guards, porters and carriage cleaners - were also now bound for Queen Street, with the rest earmarked for other stations across the city.
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A2 Pacific 60532 Blue Peter brings a train into Buchanan Street in August 1966. The locomotive was at that time allocated to 62B Dundee Tay Bridge shed, from which it was officially withdrawn by BR 4 months later on 31 December 1966. Named after the winner of the 1939 Derby, the now preserved Blue Peter is the sole survivor of the 15 original Peppercorn A2s.
Buchanan Street
[G W Robin /08/1966] | 
Built at Gorton Works in 1949, Thomson B1 4-6-0 no 61347 spent almost its whole life in Scotland. The locomotive is pictured here on a train at Glasgow^s Buchanan Street station in the 1960s at which time home was at Thornton Junction. A part of what became Scotrail House can be seen under construction in the background. 61347 was withdrawn from 62A in April 1967 and cut up at McLellans at Langloan some 3 months later.
Buchanan Street
[Robin Barbour Collection (Courtesy Bruce McCartney) //] | 
Stanier Black 5 no 45468, immaculately turned out by St Rollox shed, takes the ^Fife Coast Express^ out of Buchanan Street in 1959 at the commencement of its cross-country journey to St Andrews [see image 34385]. Even the signalman seems impressed.
Buchanan Street
[Gordon Smith Collection (Courtesy Ken Browne) //1959] |
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| Herald | |
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| 09/04/2018 | ScotRail's 385s face further delay as new windscreens to be fitted [RAIL] |
| Hitachi has confirmed to RAIL that new windscreens are to be fitted to ScotRail's new Class 385s, which are already late entering traffic because of infrastructure problems.
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| RAIL | |
| Rail Engineer | |
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| 09/04/2018 | New platforms is a step-up for Livingston South station redevelopment [Network Rail] |
| The Edinburgh Glasgow Central via Shotts line has re-opened to passengers following a 10 day closure to enable part of a £3.5m redevelopment of Livingston South station.
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| Network Rail | |
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| 09/04/2018 | India engineless train rolls back for miles [BBC News] |
| Seven employees have been suspended after 22 carriages carrying 1,000 passengers detached from a train and sped backwards for 11km (seven miles) in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.
The runaway carriages were halted by railway staff after they placed rocks on the tracks.
None of the people on the train were injured in the incident, which occurred on Saturday night, officials said.
More than 22 million Indians commute daily on about 9,000 trains.
A video of the incident, caught on a mobile phone camera, showed onlookers screaming as the carriages rolled backwards and past a railway platform.
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| BBC News | |
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| 07/04/2018 | Chew chew! The restaurants around the world in old train carriages[Daily Mail] |
| MailOnline Travel has scoured the world for eateries housed inside old train carriages, with quirky spots in India, New York and Paris coming into signal.
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| Daily Mail | |
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| 07/04/2018 | Network Rail opens new station footbridge at West Calder [Network Rail] |
| Passengers arriving at West Calder on Monday April 9 will notice a significant difference in their station with the removal of the old and opening of the new station footbridge.
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Last chance to see? The fine lattice footbridge at West Calder hangs on as its hulking replacement nears completion. The whole Shotts line is to be closed for 10 days over Easter, and I^m wondering if that^s when the bridge will be removed. OHLE masts currently stop short of the station either side - more work for Easter?
West Calder
[David Panton 13/03/2018] |
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| Network Rail | |
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| 07/04/2018 | Brief Encounter tribute to star at West Highland railway stations [Scotsman] |
| A new play which pays homage to the classic film Brief Encounter is to be performed at stations on the West Highland Line next week [10th to 15th April].
Brief Encounters on the West Highland Line will be staged at Arisaig, Corrour, Glenfinnan, and Rannoch station on the route between Glasgow and Mallaig
Station buildings at Rannoch and Corrour will be used for the 50-minute production from Tuesday, along with nearby halls and hotels at Arisaig and Glenfinnan.
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^Brief Encounters on the West Highland Lines^, a travelling CRP production. ^Original stageplay and evening meal accessible by train^ - Saturday 14th April.
Rannoch
[John Yellowlees 19/03/2018] |
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| Scotsman | |
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| 06/04/2018 | Alastair Dalton: Will ScotRails plan to cut delays actually work? [Scotsman] |
| Under one of the multi-coloured electronic screens showing rail tracks and trains at the West of Scotland Signalling Centre is something that wouldnt be out of place in a Victorian signal box.
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| Scotsman | |
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| 06/04/2018 | Train passengers given more protection over honest mistakes with tickets [The Herald] |
| Rail passengers issued with a penalty fare after making an honest mistake will have greater protection under rules which come into force on Friday.
[Note: Penalty Fares do not apply in Scotland.]
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| The Herald | |
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| 06/04/2018 | Heritage railway train and car in level crossing crash [Shropshire Star] |
| A heritage railway train carrying 77 passengers collided with a car on a level crossing in Mid Wales. An investigation is underway after the incident which happened at around 11.45am on Thursday on the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway line.
The 823 Countess locomotive was passing over the level crossing at Cyfronydd Station when it collided with a red Chevrolet car.
The driver of the car escaped unharmed, along with the 77 passengers and crew on board the train, however significant damage was caused to the car and the locomotive.
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| Shropshire Star | |
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| 05/04/2018 | Stromeferry Bypass users face long detour [BBC News] |
| People using the Stromeferry Bypass in the Highlands will face overnight closures of the route and a long detour for three months later this year.
Highland Council said it was working with Network Rail to design a bypass which would allow cars and light vehicles to use the route between scheduled timetabled trains.
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| BBC News | |
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| 05/04/2018 | North Yorkshire Moors Railway withdraws WW2 German soldier invite [BBC News] |
| A railway involved in a World War Two re-enactment weekend has withdrawn its invitation to a group who dress as German soldiers.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway said it was in response to negative publicity in the press last year.
The charity said it was a 'very difficult decision' but it needed to protect its family image.
Neil Robertson, from the Das Reich group said the press had exercised 'power without responsibility'.
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Preparations for the Wartime Weekend at Pickering, Friday 16 October 2009. The arrival (and departure) of the military planning team....
Pickering
[John Furnevel 16/10/2009] | 
WD Austerity 2-10-0 3672 Dame Vera Lynn tiptoes down the bank from Goathland to Grosmont in 1992.
Goathland
[Colin Miller //1992] | 
A NAAFI has been set up on platform 2 at Pickering to provide sustenance to the many soldiers and civilians passing through the station during the Wartime Weekend event on 18 October 2009.
Pickering
[John McIntyre 18/10/2009] |
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| BBC News | |
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| 05/04/2018 | The first London to Amsterdam train: Eurostar's much-anticipated service arrives in style... but six minutes late [Evening Standard] |
| World-renowned chef Raymond Blanc led the celebrations as the first ever direct train from London to Amsterdam arrived at its destination, much to the jubilation of passengers who managed to bag themselves a ticket.
The much-anticipated service set off from St Pancras at 8.31am, and arrived in the Dutch capital six minutes late at 1.18pm local time.
With tickets starting at £35 each way, Eurostar hopes the new city centre to city centre route will be a major competitor to one of Europes busiest international air routes.
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| Evening Standard | |
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