SwissRailPassion

Kebek I understand, the Québécois insist on it but a blundering Queue beck on R4 PM and the six o'clock news shows standards have fallen. The speaker was an Oxford graduate too. Mischievous is also becoming MIssCHEEVious instead of MISSchevus

Bear in mind franchise and rolling stock contracts are mis-aligned due to the hiatus. The 350s will go off lease to TPE on a fixed date and return to LM( who didn't quite get them) 333s are leased by Angel and come off in 2020. Angel will be touting for custom. TPE or rather the Dft was caught out by this over the Chiltern/TPE 170s. GWR will lose the HSTs to Abellio at Scotrail as the contract is signed. Thus IEP will be ready to roll from June 2017 wires or no wires at a cool £325,000 per set per month. First will no doubt have negotiated an extension to their AT300 order for GWR to provide bi-mode trains for TPE (and Hull Trains) A delay to GWR electrification may allow a production window to open for an early introduction of new trains to TPE. This new Hitachi factory needs orders, lots of orders. Rumour is that CAF will provide the brand new DMUs (brand new is confirmed).

I've noticed BBC reporters saying MAY-OR-EE-AL in the last few days when referring to Zac Goldsmith and the London election. I've also heard May-or-al too. Last year I heard a senior reporter talk about Canada and say KEW BECK ! Mayoral is MARE-AL. Easy to say and quick. Also why do people say two times instead of twice? I'm getting old. But I'm still in my forties.

The 350s will go to London Midland as they are temporary stop gaps at TPE. Of the 44 new trains it is likely they will be bi-mode AT300s from Hitachi. The reference to 125 mph is for running north on the E/WCML. First delivery will certainly be bi-mode. Cascade of the 185s will transform other lines. The big change will start to come in the 2017 timetables. Meanwhile the TP electrification design work will allow better track layouts and line speed alterations for the new services. More details will become clear in 10 days after the standstill for contract signing. It's certainly a big win for the north and a step change to make rail travel more attractive.

Yes 3 car new-build electrics, probably Hitachi follow-ons from the Scotrail order. So back to 3 car formations but with 6 car double ups when the platforms are lengthened. There will be 12 Northern Connect routes too, many with new stock. Southport to Bradford for example.

120 new DMU cars and 141 other new carriages for Northern. Speculation is that CAF will build the DMUs. The new TPE electrics will probably be bi-mode AT3000 Hitachi as a follow-on for the ones ordered for GWR and Hull Trains by FIrst. This will allow many 185s to move to Northern. New rolling stock is needed as Pacers must go and most of the 150s are pretty dreadful. Abellio have worked miracles keeping the rag tag bunch of types in service with such low failure rates. I hope Arriva don't choose turquoise for their livery - last time the North had turquoise it ended badly. As for the VIva train methinks it will appear in Wales.

220 vehicles of 44 new intercity stock. This will presumably be the AT range from Hitachi as a bolt on order from the GWR run. 281 vehicles for Northern will be a mix of new DMUs possibly made by CAF (like Ulster) and electrics. Calder valley does very well out of the deal and so does TPE north. Extending the new 125 mph trains to Edinburgh via Newcastle is a good idea. Northern Connect sounds like a regional express or semi fast service eg Lincoln to Leeds and Nottingham and Chester to Bradford. Scarborough is to get an additional hourly service from Northern (this seems too much off peak) and the Bridlington line trains to go through to Leeds and be increased. All good news for many with Pacers given the heave ho. Considering the Northern franchise was last let in 2004 on a no growth basis, the new franchise address growth.

Thanks Shanks and Wibble. I am tempted to go for a green one.

Many around here spend most of the day as a £30,000 pram.

My experience of 4x4s in the country is they rarely go faster than 45 and are driven in the middle of the road just in case they get splashed with mud.

How do they run? Anyone?

Sounds like it looks good. Does it run well? That's the big test for me, as I had so many problems with their class 22 ( I sent three back ) that I gave up with it. At over £100 it should be a good runner. I hope the 73 is a success, and I'd be interested to hear how people are finding it. Christmas is coming......

Edit ECML is open between Newcastle and Edinburgh, damage repaired. WCML stopped at Preston.

At last the wind has died down after two days of howling. No trains between England and Scotland today due to flooding at Carlisle and engineering work and damage between Newcastle and Edinburgh.

Eggborough is to remain as a standby station rather than close, I heard yesterday. There is an effort to secure biomass conversion for it. We need the additional capacity.

Up platform starter

Thanks for this and the video. I had to send 3 back due to very poor running on DC. In the end I gave up despite wanting to have one.

I think it was installed around 1960 at the same time as one at Bridlington Quay and a couple of others in the area. They were also building the new canopies at Bridlington with a 100 year life span (demolished in 1984) Around the same time the Killin Branch was almost entirely renewed with concrete sleepered track. A good investment?

Good pictures, although the newspaper article is pretty shoddy. This was an unnecessary and pointless closure but other towns in Yorkshire would produce more traffic today. It beggars belief that Wetherby and Otley were closed, they ought to be connected to Leeds by rail today. Hull however has declined in importance since the 70s and the population has reduced as people move towards the centre and south where there is work.

Buy a copy of Modern Railways to find out more on this sad mess. The project is enormous and Ian Walmsley writes a good summary of how things have got to the state they are in. Roger Ford has been advising of the folly around the IEP since day one. The Dft were told time and again about the suitability of the trains but there were determined individuals who were keen to press ahead despite defying the laws of physics. There was the option of loco haulage but it was binned. Several hundred new carriages capable of haulage by a 125mph diesel in 2017 would have been a damn site cheaper and, in the light of the delay, very efficient. Now Hitachi have to find hundreds of new underfloor diesel engines on top of the very pricey IEP delivery. And they've got to run them at full whack to give a workable timetable. When they begin service will shorter 5 car sets be long enough? I predict not. The chickens are coming home to roost.

There was a display screen showing the train movements expected in the next 10 minutes or so. Very good idea.

Who's going to bid? Will it be the man who has built a signal box on the side of his house near the Molescroft roundabout?

And behind the trolleybus a model railway shop!

Enjoying the pics. In summer there were so many long DMU combinations along the coast. 8 to 12 car formations at weekends. Bridlington used to be very busy on Saturday mornings right up to the mid 80's with all 8 (latterly 7) platforms in use between 10 and 12 o'clock and the station teeming with people. Loco hauled excursions added to the variety and on Sundays almost every available platform, siding and the goods yard were filled with stock ready for the big getaway between 5 and 7. 50 to 60 carriages (DMU or hauled) could be seen on a busy Sunday. It was a triumph of organisation and a complete contrast to the winter months. The station was well staffed with many characters from the manager Mr Pearson and his secretary, the Supervisors, one very tall the other quite small, the senior and leading railmen and shunter to the young lad who did all the lamps. Three worked in the booking office and rarely emerged. There was a driver and guards depot with three or four turns a day. The drivers were all quite different, one an expert on flowers, another always very tanned, each with a distinct driving style and method of acceleration. And, of course, there was the wonderful Harry Brown with his huge moustache and great sense of humour who was the driver on the train at Lockington. Sadly he do not live long after the crash due to his injuries. Some of the DMU variety can be seen in the recent cinerail DVD about the line. It has footage of Bempton and Flamborough stations. At Flamborough a DMU is filmed whilst a 37 thunders past on an excursion.

Thanks, I think I was on that train.