This day in history 12 February
Images
St Pancras: The north end of St Pancras in February 1971 with Peak no 68 Royal Fusilier arriving with a train from Derby. Over on the far side below the signal box is Brush Type 4 no 1521 preparing to leave with the down Master Cutler for Sheffield.
St Pancras: One of the Tinsley based Brush Type 4s, no 1521, awaiting its departure time at St Pancras on 12 February 1971 with the 11.05 Master Cutler to Sheffield Midland.
Normanton: EE Type 3 No. 37098 trundles along the down slow line opposite Goose Hill Junction box, Normanton, with a train of empty spoil wagons on Saturday 12 February 1977. No doubt a positioning move in readiness for overnight track work come the cessation of normal traffic in the late evening.
Normanton: When first introduced to service in April 1960 from Gateshead shed, EE Type 4 No. D270 would have been no stranger to class 1 work on the ECML, but by 1977 (as 40070) it was reduced to pottering about the West Riding on colliery trip workings from Healey Mills. Here it is on a Saturday morning in February of that year heading home to HM past Goose Hill Junction with just an ex-LMS brake-van in tow.
Normanton: The first two months of 1977 saw the 'Western' diesel-hydraulics ranging far and wide on railtour duty as their demise drew near. Here No. 1023 'Western Fusilier' accelerates past Goose Hill Junction, Normanton, having suffered a signal check on the approach, with the 'Western Finale' special from Exeter to York.
Normanton: Peak No. 45025 (D19) passes under Newstead Lane Bridge between Normanton station and Goose Hill Junction at 12:45 on Saturday 12th February 1977. I have been unable to reconcile the time with any booked up working in the public timetable for 1976-77 but it is possible the train is a Leeds United - Derby Footex (Leeds won 1-0).
Micklefield: Having seen the 'Western Finale' pass through Normanton earlier on its northbound journey from Exeter see image [[38590]], it was possible to intercept it again before it reached York as it ran via Leeds, wher e a brief stop was made, rather than on the direct route through Castleford. The special, hauled by No. 1023 Western Fusilier, is seen here on 12 February 1977 in the deep cutting near Huddleston Grange between Micklefield and Church Fenton.
Normanton: Holbeck based 31146 approaches Goose Hill Junction on the up slow line on 12 March 1977 with a trip working of unbraked 16T mineral wagons bound for Healey Mills Yard.
Normanton: The last in a procession of Engineer's trains to pass Goose Hill Junction northbound on Saturday 12th February 1977 was a ramshackle collection of high and low sided open spoil wagons hauled by 37098. Note the photographers waiting on Newstead Lane Bridge for the passage of the Western Finale railtour which had been due almost an hour previously. See image [[38590]]
Normanton: The marker lights on Peak 45059 (D98) Royal Engineer, heading the 10:12 Newcastle to Cardiff, glow brightly despite it being around noon, so Saturday 12th February 1977 was obviously a typical gloomy West Riding winter's day! The train has just negotiated the reverse curves around the wide island platform at Normanton.
Normanton: 40038 south of Goose Hill Junction box in February 1977 with ballast in a variety of Engineer's wagons. They are all equipped with the vacuum brake and the train is running as a fully fitted working with the loco displaying the correct class 6 headcode discs, despite the requirement for this having been abolished a year earlier. The vantage point gives a good view of the facing crossover arrangement between the ex-MR and ex-L&Y lines.
Normanton: A small band of photographers has assembled on the wide island platform at Normanton station on 12 February 1977 to see No. 1023 Western Fusilier pass on the 'Western Finale' railtour from Exeter to York. One suspects that a similar event in the 21st century would see a much bigger turnout.
Normanton: Just after mid-day on 12th February 1977, HM allocated 37246 heads for home on the up slow line between Normanton station and Goose Hill Junction. With the day being a Saturday, its crew will doubtless be looking forward to going off duty once they get back to Healey Mills.
Normanton: Judging by the procession of engineer's trains which passed Goose Hill Jn around lunchtime on Saturday 12th February 1977, there must have been relaying scheduled somewhere in the Leeds area that weekend. The first of these to appear, at 12.47, was a short train of prefabricated track panels with 40169 from Healey Mills in charge.
Halstead: The location given inside this telephone kiosk was 'Halstead Railway Station'. The kiosk stood close to the front entrance of the station, but by 12th February 1978, only the entrance steps (to the left of the kiosk) remained. The steps were a poignant memorial to over a century's worth of rail travelers that had made use of them, the last in December 1961. Time was eventually called on the kiosk and steps too and a block of flats now occupies this site.
Kings Cross: Evening scene at Kings Cross in February 1979, looking back towards the station along platform 8 with empty stock about to leave platform 7.
York: An ECML InterCity 125 service leaving York for the south in February 1981 in the shadow of York Minster.
York: A BR InterCity 125 HST rolls into York station on 12 February 1981 with an ECML service for Kings Cross.
York: View south from the platforms of York station on 12 February 1981 as a DMU awaits its departure time with an afternoon stopping service to Leeds.
Ely Dock Junction: Withdrawn class 126 stock, with SC79164 nearest the camera, languishing in the sidings at Ely Dock Junction in February 1983. The units are awaiting removal for scrapping at the nearby plant of European Metal Recycling, Snailwell, Cambridgeshire. Note the 'danger' stickers attached to the sides of the stock, warning of the asbestos contained within these units. Snailwell was one of a small number of specialist sites equipped to deal safely with such material. See image [[31786]]
Kirkby Stephen: The Midland Compound No. 1000, double heading with Jubilee No. 5690 'Leander' passing the overbridge immediately north of Kirkby Stephen station while working the southbound Cumbrian Mountain Pullman of 12th February 1983. The pair had worked north in atrocious conditions the previous Saturday.
Garsdale: The Midland Compound and 5690 Leander with the southbound Cumbrian Mountain Pullman en route from Carlisle to Hellifield on 12 February 1983. Having surmounted the climb to Ais Gill summit they can now take it easier on favourable grades south of Garsdale and will shortly enter Rise Hill Tunnel.
Ness Viaduct: One of the few occasions on which coal moved south on the Far North Line. Some of the 13 HEA hopper wagons of imported coal - a contract secured to rail by the photographer's son as BR Speedlink Coal manager for Scotland - conveyed on a southbound freight from Invergordon on 12th February 1986 are seen here on the original Ness Bridge in Inverness.
Girvan (Old): Girvan (Old) station, photographed on 12 February 1988. See image [[24815]]
Hilton Junction: A southbound train taking the Glasgow line at Hilton Junction in February 2005.
Dawsholm: Part of the Caledonian Railway Dawsholm Passenger Station sign painted on the Maryhill aqueduct. To the top left PASS can be seen and to the top right ST.
Hilton Junction: Shortly after leaving Perth southbound in February 2005, an afternoon train destined for Edinburgh Waverley takes the Central Fife route at Hilton Junction.
Hilton Junction: The signal box at Hilton Junction in February 2005. Ladybank to the left, Gleneagles to the right.
Hilton Junction: A 158 about to leave the shadows of the deep cutting south of Moncrieff Tunnel in February 2005 and take the Stirling route at Hilton Junction. The train is a morning Perth to Glasgow Queen Street service.
Hilton Junction: A southbound train runs past Hilton Junction signal box in 2005. The train has just taken the south west fork at the junction on its way to Glasgow Queen Street.
Gretna Green: Located nine and a half miles north west of Carlisle on the former G&SW route, the single platform station at Gretna Green was opened in 1993 on what was then a long single track section between Gretna and Annan. The new station is pictured here on a cold and wet February day in 2006 looking in the Annan direction. Some 15 years later the line was redoubled, with the station receiving a second platform - see image [[20209]]. Just off picture to the right is the site of the original (1848) station which closed in 1965. For a photograph taken on the same day showing both stations see image [[6724]].
Harthope Viaduct: Looking south at Harthope Viaduct on 12 February 2006, with preparations for deck replacement well advanced.
Harthope Viaduct: Looking north under Harthope Viaduct on 12 February 2006 with the replacement deck in the foreground sitting alongside the current resident, ready to be moved into its final position over the Easter weekend.
Gretna Green [1st]: To the west beyond the car park stands the platform at Gretna Green on a rainy day in February 2006. The new station, opened in 1993, is at the start of the single line section to Annan. The former station building (closed 1965) now a private house, stands in the foreground.
Gretna Green: Looking west along the platform at Gretna Green in February 2006.
Gretna Green [1st]: The road approach to the original Gretna Green station, now a private house, in February 2006. The 1852 station was finally closed in 1965, while the current station, 100 yards off to the right, was opened in 1993. See image [[6724]]
Rosewell and Hawthornden: Remains of the platforms at Rosewell and Hawthornden looking south west in February 2007.
Easter Road: Looking west from Crawford Bridge (no relation) towards the remains of Easter Road station on 12 February 2007. The Abbeyhill spur came in from the left while straight ahead is the line which now terminates at Powderhall refuse depot.
Easter Road: Looking over Easter Road station on 12 February 2007. The line runs to Piershill Jct where it joins the ECML, while the trackbed bearing right and now fenced off once led to Abbeyhill. The white platform sign still proclaims Easter Road Junction.
Meadowbank Stadium: The abandoned platform serving Meadowbank Stadium looking south east towards Portobello and the ECML in February 2007. It was built to handle the shuttle service from Waverley which ran during the 1986 Commonwealth Games.
Abbeyhill: South end of Abbeyhill station on 12 February 2007 seen through a gap in the fence.
Abbeyhill: The remains of Abbeyhill station on 12 Feb 2007 looking south towards Abbeyhill Jct and the ECML with Waverley off to the right.
Abbeyhill: The wall linking Edinburgh's old and new versions of tenement housing (!) spans the gap once occupied by the entrance and booking office of Abbeyhill station. View south on 12 February 2007 across London Road.
Loanhead: The old goods yard at Loanhead in February 2007 looking southwest, with the station house visible beyond the goods shed. The buildings in the right background were part of the long closed Ramsay Colliery. Photographed through a gap in the fence of what is now a council depot.
Loanhead: Remains of Loanhead station on 12 February 2007, looking northeast towards Millerhill. The old goods shed stands in the background.
London Road Junction [Edinburgh]: View north from Abbeyhill towards the overgrown former London Road Junction in February 2007. At one time it was a case of - straight on for Leith Central, left for Granton and North Leith, right for Lochend South Junction and the ECML. See image [[46236]]
Arbroath: An Edinburgh - Aberdeen service, formed by 158712, peeps out from below the bridge at Arbroath station on 12 February 2008 and is reflected in the coaches of a National Express HST set standing in the adjacent platform.
Markinch Viaduct: A twin 158 formation crosses Markinch Viaduct on 12 February 2008. View looks east along the A911 road.
Wormit: Edinburgh train leaving the south end of the Tay Bridge on 12 February.
Salwick: A Blackpool North to Manchester service formed by Northern 156423 heads east passed Salwick SB on 12 February 2008.
Morecambe: 144006 stands at Morecambe, opened in 1994 to replace Morecambe Promenade and built on the site of the first (1850 to 1907) station with the 1244 service to Leeds on 12 February. On the right is the single line to Heysham and its little used run around loop. (The junction for Heysham lies just beyond the overbridge.)
Morecambe Junction: 142038, forming the 1203 Lancaster - Heysham Port, stands at the junction for the Heysham line, just east of Morecambe station on 12 February while one of the crew changes the points using the ground frame. Two trains per day normally ran to Heysham Port to connect with Isle of Man sailings at this time but in 2009 this reduced to one.
Seafield Branch Junction: Looking west towards Cowdenbeath along the route of the former Kirkcaldy District Railway on 12 February 2008 from the point at which it passed below the Kinghorn - Kirkcaldy line at the southern end of Invertiel Viaduct en route to its intended destination at Seafield Harbour. The general overall condition of the arch/tunnel, with its absence of soot/smoke stains raises questions as to how much (if any) use was made of this particular section of the route prior to the eventual failure of the Kirkcaldy District Railway Seafield Harbour project.
Bare Lane: Looking east towards the WCML as 144006 leaves Bare Lane With a Morecambe - Leeds via Lancaster service on 12 February 2008. The two single lines join just beyond the station before dividing again for the links to the WCML north and south.
Bare Lane: Scene at Bare Lane station in February 2008 looking past the signal box and over the level crossing towards Morecambe.
Winslow: Not all of the Bicester to Swanbourne siding section of the Oxford - Bletchley line has been lifted. View from Station Road towards Bletchley in February 2010.
Renfrew Ferry: Renfrew Rose is the Renfrew Ferry (bizarrely run by the Subway!) at Renfrew Ferry on 12 February 2010.
Lochwinnoch: The 14.15 Glasgow Central to Ardrossan (318 266) runs into Lochwinnoch on 12 February 2010.
Carrbridge: See me! The fully assembled 1000 tonne crane stands alongside Carrbridge station on 12 February 2010 ready for the big lift see image [[1503]].
Carrbridge: Scene alongside Carrbridge station on 12 February 2010, showing part of the 1000 tonne crane being assembled in readiness for 'the big lift'.
St Margarets Shed: Except for the western side the surroundings of the former St Margarets shed have not changed greatly since closure in the 1960s. Unfortunately there are two dirty great office blocks on the site itself, which makes taking 'now' pictures to the 'thens' on Railscot a bit diffy. This update see image [[26920]] is not thus affected, but this time it's planted vegetation that gets in the way a bit. Anyway, that row of tenements is still there, looking half the age it did then, standing on Restalrig Road South, semi-officially called Smokey Brae (with the misspelling of 'smoky' immortalised).
Kilmarnock: 37601 and 37607 with the 1Z94 Galloway Galloper special arriving at Kilmarnock station on 12 February 2011 in fading light. Locomotive 37601 currently carries the name Class 37 - 'Fifty'.
Kirkcaldy Harbour: The Kirkcaldy Harbour branch, which closed in 1984, had an Alton Towers gradient of 1 in 21. Here is the course of the branch on 12 February looking downhill towards the harbour. The gradient is noticeable even on foot. No these aren't rails but a twin row of concrete kerbstones without a kerb. I can't explain that one.
Stirling: Plaque attached to a gate at Stirling station, photographed on 12 February 2011.
Abbeyhill Junction: The Abbeyhill Loop and direct connection between Waverley and Leith left the ECML (to the right in this picture) at Abbeyhill Junction and crossed the street called just Abbeyhill before entering Abbeyhill station. Although the line has been lifted for years the bridge over Abbeyhill survives, and is seen here on 12 February looking east. The ECML itself crosses Abbeyhill a bit further on, reducing the advantage in removing this overbridge which is perhaps why it's still there. The Junction was overlooked by the top storeys of Brand Place, a single tenement with an address of it's own, which it retains.
Girvan: DRS locomotive no 37601 brings up the rear of the Pathfinder Tours Galloway Galloper as it leaves Girvan for Stranraer on Saturday 12 February 2011. (DRS 37607 was on the front of the special.) See image [[32756]]
Kirkcaldy: The Boy in the Train. A 6ft tall work at Kirkcaldy station with each letter cut from, and inlaid in, the linoleum for which the town is famed. It is written in no dialect that I recognise. I've never heard anyone pronounce Kirkcaldy 'Kirkcaddy', which funnily enough is easier to find suitable rhymes for than the correct pronunciation. Harbour 'mou' '? Right, I'll shut up. Photographed on 12 February 2011.
Edinburgh Waverley: Plans for escalators on Waverley Steps were first put forward decades ago, perhaps going back to when practical escalators were first invented. At last it's now going ahead. The steps were closed on 10 February 2011 for a year with the screened off entrance from Princes Street seen here 2 days later. On reopening the steps will remain on one side and the whole lot will be covered. There will also be lifts. The top of Waverely Steps is notoriously draughty. Planet Neptune has winds of up to 890mph which astronomers claim to be the strongest in the Solar System: Edinburgensians need some persuading.
Kirkcaldy: The 'Lang Toun' is the home of linoleum: the world's biggest and oldest factory is here. This notice at the station on 12 February 2011 is therefore a bit of a letdown: blame the adhesive. Note the imaginative use of the word 'afoot'.
Piershill: I'm standing in Smokey (sic) Brae on 12 February 2011 with the ECML above me and what is now the Powderhall branch bridging to the north. The branch leaves the main line at the accurately (if unimaginatively) named Powderhall Branch Junction to the right. This was called Piershill when the line went all the way to Granton and the Abbeyhill loop returned to the ECML via Lochend Junction. Piershill Station, which closed in 1964, was immediately to the left. A blocked up arch to the right, just before the ECML bridge, is carved 'Back Gate' referring to Piershill Barracks which closed c1930, the stone being used for the tenements which stand there today.
Girvan: The Pathfinder Tours Galloway Galloper photographed at Girvan on 12 February 2011 on its way to Stranraer with DRS 37607 leading the way see image [[32741]].
Meadowbank Stadium: Meadowbank Stadium station had a mayfly existence, being built for the 1986 Commonwealth Games and being served only by specials from Waverley for the Games and for a couple of other events before and after. I remember it appeared on the Abbeyhill loop on the 'ScotRail East Network Map' posted in Haymarket's allocation of Class 101 DMUs, so perhaps it was once the intention to make this a regular stop on North Berwick services. As it was, the line was singled, leaving the only platform high and dry and the connection with Waverley at Abbeyhill Junction was also cut. The existing line though is in regular use by the Powderhall 'Binliners'. Looking towards the junction at Piershill on 12 February.
Girvan: Leading locomotive of the Pathfinder Tours Galloway Galloper DRS 37607 heads south from Girvan on 12 February 2011 on its way to Stranraer.
Cambusmore Siding: An old road over rail bridge near Cambusbeg, east of Callander, photographed in February 2011. View looks east towards Doune/Dunblane.
Bridge of Keltie: The bridge that carried the Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway over the Keltie Water. View looks west towards Callander in February 2011.
Calton Tunnels: Abbeyhill Junction is where the bidirectional lines from the east of Waverley Station through Calton tunnels (just one track per tunnel) resolve into the Up and Down ECML. In the middle distance the Abbeyhill Loop and line to Leith once also veered off to the left, but the connection was broken in the early 1990s. View east from Regent Road park on 12 February with the floodlights of Meadowbank Stadium on the horizon.
Severn Bridge Junction: The famous signal box in February 2011, caught from a passing Cardiff-Crewe working.
Edinburgh Waverley: View east along platform 20 at Waverley on 12 February with a 158/170 combination standing at platform 19. The scaffolding is in connection with the Waverley Steps project, now finally underway.
Hoghton: A Northern service from Leeds to Blackpool North has just climbed Hoghton bank and is now rounding the curve towards the former Hoghton station on 12 February 2011. The city of Preston is just visible on the skyline.
Inverkeithing East Junction: Renewal of the down main line at Inverkeithing East Junction on 12 February 2012, one of a number of major PW projects being carried out simultaneously during line closure. 66096 lurks in the background.
Kirkcaldy: Extensive PW work in Fife during closure of the coast line on 12 February included replacement of the crossover at Kirkcaldy station and removal of the up siding (a last remnant of the old goods yard).
Grange-over-Sands: A murky morning at Grange-over-Sands as 185144 leaves for Barrow-in-Furness on a working from Manchester Airport. The image was taken from the park footpath that borders the line just west of the station. The Whistle board by the semaphore is for the boarded foot crossing that affords access to the promenade. See image [[31260]].
Nuneaton North Chord: The snow has gone, and the piers of what will become the North Chord bridge over Stoney Road, Nuneaton, are steadily growing as a South-bound 350 passes on the WCML in the background.
Kinghorn Tunnel: The cutting to the north of the tunnel at Kinghorn being cleared of vegetation and stabilised during line occupation on Sunday 12 February 2012.
Kirkcaldy: Engineering work underway at Kirkcaldy on Sunday 12 February 2012 see image [[37580]].
Northallerton Town: What is believed to be the Leeds Northern Railway's short lived Northallerton Town Station (1852-1856). Photograph taken on 12 February 2012 on the west side of Northallerton's Low Gates level crossing.
Kirkcaldy: 66141 stands above Nicol Street, Kirkcaldy, with an engineers train on 12 February 2012. The train is waiting to be called forward to the work site at Kirkcaldy station see image [[37580]].
Gask Junction: Looking east at the site of Gask Junction in February 2012 with the line to Steelend behind the camera. The Gask branch ran to the left of the hut with the route back towards Dunfermline on the right.
Kinghorn Tunnel: 'I don't recall any mention of abseiling in the PW manual!' Stabilisation work underway on the cutting north of Kinghorn tunnel on 12 February 2012.
RNSD Lathalmond: Rail still visible in the road at the former Lathalmond level crossing in February 2012 looking north east. The gates giving rail access to the Royal Naval Stores Depot were straight ahead - note the surviving gatepost. See image [[37667]]
Grange-over-Sands: Its not that long since Grange station was refurbished but the contractors are back again - this time repairing the glass and wrought iron platform canopies. TPE 185144 pulls up alongside the scaffolding on a misty Sunday morning when there were still traces of snow in the area. The train was heading from Manchester Airport to Barrow-in-Furness and is seen here from the public park next to the station.
Northallerton East Junction: Low Gates level crossing and signal box at Northallerton in February 2012. View north east along the A167 over the Yarm and Eaglescliffe line.
RNSD Lathalmond: The site of the level crossing at Lathalmond looking back south west towards Gask Junction in February 2012 see image [[37642]]. The embankment that carried the Steelend branch can be seen in the left centre background.
Swindon: Freightliner 66505 eastbound past the junction for the Keyline Freight Terminal to the east of Swindon on 12 February 2012.
Nuneaton North Chord: Work continues on the North Chord embankment at Nuneaton on 12 February 2012 as an up Pendolino storms past on the WCML in the background. See image [[36137]]
Reading: The new west end footbridge and access links to platforms 10-15 at Reading Station under construction on 12 February 2013. A First Great Western HST is about to leave platform 9 bound for Paddington, as a class 165/166 DMU arrives at platform 10.
Swindon: Freightliner 66594 awaits a First Great Western HST clearing Swindon Station with the 09.59 to London on 12 February to allow it to proceed with its consist of containers.
Allt Coire Mheadhoin Viaduct: A Network Rail landrover heads south alongside Loch Treig in 2013. This may have been to check on the condition of the derailed locomotive, about a mile further south.
Allt Coire Mheadhoin Viaduct: 67004, still in EWS livery, passes GBRf 66734 'The Eco Express' in its green shroud. The class 66 is to be cut up on site. What must pass through other driver's minds passing this location?
Cowdenbeath North Junction: Colas Rail 56087 rounds the curve at the former Cowdenbeath North Junction on 12 February with the 6L82 Linkswood - Grangemouth empty tanks.
Cowdenbeath: 156494 enters Cowdenbeath with the 15.40 from Glenrothes with Thornton to Edinburgh on 12 February.
Leith Walk: Grey liveried 67015 running light through the former Leith Walk Station on 12 February having delivered the empty Binliner containers to Powderhall depot.
Beningbrough: Freightliner 66588 on the northbound slow line at Overton Lane overbridge near Beningbrough on 12 February with a rake of empty coal wagons.
Powderhall Loop: Grey liveried 67015 nearing its destination at Powderhall depot on 12 February 2015 with the returning empty 'bins' from Oxwellmains.
Bare Lane: DRS EE Type 1 20312 brings up the rear of a four flask train for Heysham Power Station on the level crossing at Bare Lane on 12th February 2015. The lead locomotive on this leg was 20305.
Beauly: 37602 with three DRS liveried coaches in tow heads for Wick from Inverness on 12 February 2015. It appears to have been a recovery train of some sort, on its way to collect a coach from a test train that had developed a fault.
Edinburgh Waverley: 67003 in Arriva Trains Wales blue is the ECML rescue loco at Waverley on 12 February.
Hest Bank: Possibly on a test run after repair, Freightliner 66598 ran light engine from Crewe to Carnforth and back on 12th February 2016. The loco is seen here on the northbound leg running past the incoming tide on a sunny afternoon at Hest Bank.
Windermere: TPE 185120 leaves Windermere with a Northern service for Oxenholme on 12th February 2017. The train is crossing Thwaites Lane. Recent tree clearance has revealed the brick base of the old mechanical signal box See image [[24108]], closed when the line was singled. [Ref query 759]
Lasswade Viaduct: View north from Polton Road over Lasswade Viaduct on 12 February 2017, with a new housing development now occupying the valley floor. See image [[49028]]
Meadows Box [2nd]: Meadows signal box was between the two pairs of lines which pass under Seafield Road. It was in the middle of this picture, taken on 12th February 2018. Looking west. The moribund South Leith (or Leith South) branch lies between the fence and the digger engaged in intriguing groundwork. These are Network Rail vans on the right. I wonder what is going on; is the branch being measured up for a coffin, perhaps? For a yesteryear photo, see: https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/rock_dinosaur/77029914/864393/864393_1000.jpg
Dalgety Bay: 43179 leads a ScotRail HST as it nears Dalgety Bay with a Haymarket - Dundee training run on 12th February 2018.
Lancaster: There is very little coal traffic through Lancaster now but 66556 put in an appearance early on the morning of 12th February 2018 working empties from Crewe Basford Hall to Greenburn Opencast Mine in Ayrshire. There was more snow further south but only a dusting at Lancaster.
Dunblane: 365513 at Dunblane's Platform 1, forming the 13.58 to Edinburgh on 12th February 2019.
Margam Moors Junction: GWR IEP 800 passing Margam Moors Junction with the 1029 Swansea to London Paddington service on 12th February 2019.
Margam Moors Junction: DB 66120, on a Margam to Round Oak service, passing Margam Moors Junction on 12th February 2019.
Dunblane: 365537 leaves Platform 2 at Dunblane, on 12th February 2019, in preparation for reversal and return to Edinburgh.
Margam Marshalling Yard: A picture taken during a walk round Margam Yard, which is being used for wagon storage, on 12th February 2019.
Margam Moors Junction: Freightliner 66564 departs from Margam Knuckle Yard, passing Margam Moors Junction, with a train of covered coil wagons bound for Dee Marsh Reception Sidings. 12th February 2019.
Muswell Hill: The north end of Muswell Hill viaduct, on the former GNR Alexandra Palace branch that almost became part of the London Underground Northern Line, where the trackbed footpath runs into a cutting to pass beneath Muswell Hill bridge, beyond which was the site of Muswell Hill station, on 12th February 2019. The line beneath the bridge has been reduced from the former double-track railway width to a single pedestrian subway. The station's platform ruins survived into the 1970s and a school now stands on the site.
Glasgow Central Low Level: A somewhat blurred mobile phone shot of EMU 314213, hauled by diesel loco 37884, on its final journey to Glasgow Works where it will be dismantled for component recovery. The photo was taken as the cortege passed unexpectedly if fittingly along the Argyle line on 12th February 2019.
Dunblane Junction: 365517 draws forward from Dunblane prior to reversal to forming the 13.28 to Edinburgh on 12th February 2019. In the foreground is the stub of the former Callander & Oban line.
Dundee: The people's piano at Dundee station, restored and back in place, seen on 12th February 2019.
Glasgow Central: 385008 leaving platform 3 at Glasgow Central on a training run to Braidhurst down loop in February 2019.
Cranley Gardens: Ramp down to the Parkland Walk, the former GNR Alexandra Palace branch at Cranley Gardens, that was constructed in the 1970s when the trackbed to Muswell Hill became one of two separate sections of the Parkland Walk footpath (the other runs along the trackbed from just east of Highgate to just north of Finsbury Park.) The line opened in 1873 and closed to passengers in 1954 after almost becoming part of the LUL Northern Line; the site of Cranley Gardens station, added to the line in 1902 and now occupied by flats, is on the left behind the fence.
Cranley Gardens: The surviving parapets of Muswell Hill Road bridge over the formation of the Alexandra Palace branch, looking north towards Muswell Hill Broadway, on 12th February 2019. Cranley Gardens station was in the cutting on the left; it opened in 1902 on this 1873 line to serve new residential homes on the southern flank of this Alpine-like north London suburb. The line closed to passengers in 1954 after almost becoming part of the Northern Line and, if it hadn't been for WWII, passengers would now be travelling along here in crowded tube trains without a second's thought.
Helensburgh Central: 334032 waits under the canopies at Helensburgh Central, prior to returning towards Glasgow on 12th February 2019. A fellow 334 is off to the left.
Alloa: 385118 waits at Alloa with the 11.47 to Glasgow Queen Street on 12th February 2019.
Muswell Hill: The east side of the 17 arch Muswell Hill viaduct on the Northern Heights of London, looking west up the steep ascent of St. James's Lane towards the south end of the Alpine-like Muswell Hill Broadway, with the tower of St. James's Church in the background, on 12th February 2019. The line closed to passengers in 1954 and is now one of two sections converted into a footpath in the 1970s and both known as the Parkland Walk. Although had it not been for World War Two, this former GNR steam line would now be part of the London Underground Northern Line. Conversion work was put on hold in 1939 and never resumed after 1945 despite conductor rails, lineside cabling and a new substation at Crouch End having been completed and more than a million pounds spent on the project before 1939, work and money that was entirely wasted. Muswell Hill station was at the north end of the viaduct, its platform ruins survived into the 1970s and a school now stands on its site.
Dunblane Junction: 170434 crosses over to Platform 1, as part of the reversal at Dunblane, on 12th February 2019. In the foreground is the stub of the former Callander & Oban line.
Muswell Hill: The west side of Muswell Hill viaduct on the former Alexandra Palace branch, looking down St. James's Lane in this Alpine-like north London suburb, on 12th February 2019.
Muswell Hill: View down the west side of Muswell Hill Viaduct, on the former Alexandra Palace branch, on 12th February 2019. Had World War Two been delayed by six months or so, the scheme to convert this to a branch of the London Underground Northern Line would have been completed but work never resumed after 1945 and the line closed instead in 1954, after more than £1 million was spent on it before 1939, making this one of the most shameful blots on London Transport's otherwise rich history. The steps were constructed when this section of the line, including the viaduct, became one of two separate parts of the Parkland Walk footpath in the 1970s.
Margam Moors Junction: A pair of HST power cars coast down Stormy Bank, approaching Margam Moors Junction, with a Plymouth Laira to Swansea Landore light loco movement on 12th February 2019.
Alloa: 385118 leaves Alloa with the 11.47 to Glasgow Queen Street on 12th February 2019. The area to the right was previously part of the station, sidings and a turntable.
Carnforth-Yealand: There is always a pool of water in this field at Yealand, to the north of Carnforth, but the aftermath of Storm Ciara saw it spread out towards the railway. A TPE Class 350, in LNWR livery, heads north on 12th February 2020, photographed from the A6 main road.
Carnforth-Yealand: A Euston to Glasgow Pendolino passes a flooded field at Yealand, to the north of Carnforth, on 12th February 2020. After the driest April on record I would imagine there is considerably less water here now but am not in a position to check.
Sinnington: View looking north to the former Sinnington Station on the right and the two Station Cottages to the left. The latter are sited beyond an access road that runs along the rear of the station house, giving access to the station and goods yard. They are some distance away from the level crossing and the adjacent now deckless bridge (HMY27) over the River Seven; that runs alongside the road to left of view.
Calton Tunnels: A Cross-Country service from somewhere to Glasgow Central captured between Calton South tunnel and Waverley's Platform 8 on 12 February 2020. I hope that bloke up there in the Edinburgh Council offices appreciates his view, the same one a signalman at Waverley East box would have had.
Milnthorpe: 195107 hurries past the feeder station at Elmsfield, near Milnthorpe, with a Windermere to Manchester Airport service on a bitterly cold 12th February 2020. Only the first ten miles of this ninety five mile journey is not under the wires and there are recurring schemes to use bi-mode EMUs for these services but nothing has transpired yet.
Sinnington: View looking along the route of the line running east from the former Sinnington Station, to immediate left of view. The trackbed follows the near line of trees before being obliterated by being ploughed out over a short distance. It then continues again from the trees in the distance to upper right of view almost intact to some 100 metres beyond Aislaby Carr crossing. En route it still passes over a steel accommodation bridge (HMY28), and then runs in a deep cutting under Riseborough Bridge / Sinnington Viaduct (HMY29), with the nearby, now deckless, Spa Lane rail overbridge (HMY30), and two extant arched accommodation bridges, in the embankment section to Aislaby Carr.
Edinburgh Waverley Goods: The eastern half of Waverley's goods station site is taken up with Edinburgh Council headquarters and a multi-storey car park. The rest is, well, more car park and the Edinburgh Signalling Centre. The rather unlovely ramp on the left was, I imagine, built for construction vehicles too big to get through the multi-storey. I hope the North Bridge will soon emerge from its cocoon.
Edinburgh Waverley: You want Azumas, they got Azumas but on 12 February 2020 both Platforms 5 & 6 are occupied by Class 91s with DVT ends at the front. The one on the right is the boarding 1600 to King's Cross.
Milnthorpe: DRS 68018 'Vigilant' and 68017 'Hornet' top and tailed a single MkII coach from Derby to Motherwell on 12th February 2020. The short train with super-power is seen between the bridges at Elmsfield near Milnthorpe.
Ayr: The completed staff accommodation, at the east side of Ayr station, on 12th February 2021.
Stockport: View from UK Railtours' excursion from London Euston to Leeds City heading north along Stockport Viaduct, a landmark for miles around, on Saturday, 12th February 2022. This massive structure was built for the Manchester & Birmingham Railway and crosses 111 ft. above the valley of the River Mersey (See image [[33400]]). It was begun in 1839 and, despite needing 11 million bricks and with 29 spans, opened as a double-track viaduct in December 1840. It was widened to four tracks in the 1880s with the electrification masts going up in 1966. The viaduct has been a Grade II Listed Structure by English Heritage since 1975.
Nuneaton: 66148 about to be attached to 67020, to then double-head the remainder of UK Railtours' excursion from Euston to Leeds City, seen here at Nuneaton station on the morning of Saturday, 12th February 2022.
Leeds: LNER Azuma unit at Leeds City, waiting to depart for Kings Cross, on the afternoon of Saturday, 12th February 2022.
Leeds: Leeds City station, looking south-west on the afternoon of Saturday, 12th February 2022. Originally opened in 1834, it was rebuilt in 1967 (which saw the closure of Leeds Central station) and further improvements were made in 2002. I arrived here courtesy of a UK Railtours' excursion from London Euston via Manchester Piccadilly, the Ordsall Chord, Rochdale and Todmorden, and it was a very wet afternoon in this West Yorkshire city, so wet that I only went about 250 yards from the station entrance before diving into the nearest pub.
Ordsall Chord: View from UK Railtours' excursion from Euston to Leeds City on the Ordsall Chord, a.k.a. the Castlefield Curve, looking east as it crosses the River Irwell, on 12th February 2022. This curve was first mooted as far back as 1979 but was cancelled and it was not until 2010 that the scheme was revived with construction beginning in 2016 and it opened on 10th December 2017. This handsome bowstring bridge was designed by Peter Jenkins, Architect Director and Head of Transport Manchester.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1844 | Preston and Wyre Railway, Dock and Harbour | Following amalgamations, the P&WR was able to use Preston station on the former North Union Railway and ceased using Preston Leighton Street which became Maudlands Goods. |
| 1898 | Waterford and Wexford Railway | Operated by the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway on behalf of the Great Southern and Western Railway. |
| 1951 | Newburgh and North Fife Railway | Newburgh (Glenburnie Junction) to St Fort closed to passengers. (Alternative date 10/02/1951.) |
| 1951 | Lampeter, Aberayron and New Quay Light Railway | Aberayron sees its last train. |
| 1951 | Quakers Yard and Merthyr Joint Railway | Abercanaid closed |
| 1951 | Quakers Yard and Merthyr Joint Railway | Aberfan closed. |
| 1951 | Quakers Yard and Merthyr Joint Railway (Great Western Railway and Rhymney Railway) | Closed to passengers. |
| 2004 | Great North of Scotland Railway | Derailment at Inverurie. Rear of Aberdeen to Inverness train derails at south end. |
News
These are old news items which which occured on this day. This generally lists events after 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | EWS Oil train derails near Falkirk | An EWS oil train running from Grangemouth to Wigton, Cumbria, de-railed at the site of the former Swing Bridge signalbox and re-railed at Carmuirs East Junction. As a result of damage to the track, and the repairs required, the Edinburgh to Dunblane, and Glasgow Queen Street to Cumbernauld and Falkirk Grahamston services were affected. |
| 2004 | Edinburgh Light Railway: No overhead wires? | To avoid despoiling Princes Street and other areas third rail may be used TIE has announced. |
| 2004 | Broken points at Inverurie | The 0625 Aberdeen to Inverness service damaged points after a signal failure while entering Inverurie station. The line was closed for several hours. |
| 2005 | Hatfield jury to visit crash site [BBC News] | The jury in the trial of five rail executives over the Hatfield train disaster will see the site of the crash on Sunday. |
| 2005 | Walking tour around Dawsholm (Caledonian Railway Association) | Meeting at Anniesland station at 11:00 a walking tour, organised by the Caledonian Railway Association, will visit the remains of the Caledonian Railway in the Anniesland, Dawsholm and Kirklee areas of Glasgow. |
| 2006 | Rail crash signal back in service [BBC News] | The signal partly blamed for the deaths the 1999 Paddington rail crash is being brought back into service later. |
| 2007 | Row over free tram travel plans [BBC News] | A £600m plan to reintroduce trams to Edinburgh faces a significant financial problem. |
| 2009 | Fury at freight train noise level [BBC News Article] | Noise from heavy coal trains on the Alloa rail link leads to a huge increase in complaints, Network Rail admits. |
| 2009 | New train fleet ^to boost jobs^ [BBC News Article] | A multi-billion pound order for a new fleet of inter-city trains is to create or safeguard 12,500 jobs, the government announces. |
| 2009 | Didcot Railway Centre [e-petition] | An e-petition has been raised regarding the future of Didcot Railway Centre, home of the Great Western Society. While there is no immediate threat to the site (the current lease from Network Rail runs to 2019, albeit with a clause enabling a 6-month notice to quit) there are many who would like to see more secure, longer-term arrangements put in place. This is a private petition which has not been raised by the GWS itself. |
| 2010 | Carrbridge update 12 February 2010 [Railscot News] | The Big Yin is now assembled and currently towers over Carrbridge Station. If you look very carefully you might just notice that it has a wee light on the top to warn low flying aircraft! The ^smaller^ cranes (huh!) are now loading up the remaining containers and flats that have been lying in the yard for several weeks. These are being taken away on low loaders via the temporary roadway giving direct access to the A9. [This avoids the problem that occurred in January with articulated lorries getting stuck in Carrbridge village.] The site has now being secured, with the main gate at the station closed and ^minders^ in place at the temporary yard. [Gus Carnegie] |
| 2010 | Railway bridge replacement on NYMR [Yorkshire Post] | 2010 A main support girder is swung into place during work to install a new bridge to keep the North Yorkshire Moors Railway rolling. |
| 2010 | My Eurostar hell, the worst train you can imagine [Guardian Item] | With its staff ^in hiding^ and both temperatures and panic rising, there were few worse places to be than aboard the ^Disney train^ during the Eurostar^s pre-Christmas debacle |
| 2011 | New station arrives for Caldercruix [Network Rail] | Rail services will make a welcome return to Caldercruix this Sunday (February 13) with the opening of the town’s new train station. |
| 2012 | Glyn Valley Tramway restoration gets the green light [BBC News] | Long-awaited plans to restore and reopen the Glyn Valley tramway at Chirk have been given the go ahead by Wrexham Council. It comes five years after volunteers at Glyn Valley Tramway Trust started talks about restoring one mile of the narrow gauge line in 2007. It operated for 60 years before the last steam engine ran in 1935. Prior to that a horse-drawn tramway was set up to transport slate and other goods in the 19th Century. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2013 | Bluebell Railway extension opening date announced [BBC News] | The opening date for an extension to a volunteer steam railway in Sussex has been announced. The Bluebell Railway will open its extended track, from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead, on 23 March. |
| 2013 | The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track - an eye-opening look at the industry Britain loves to hate [Telegraph] | Anyone wishing to take the temperature of our relationship with the rail network could do worse than watch ^The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track^ - on BBC 2 on Tuesday 12 February at 9.00pm |
| 2013 | Borders Rail: Works starts on historic link [Scotsman] | ONCE complete, it will become the longest stretch of once-defunct rail to be reopened in modern British history. More than 400 new jobs are being created to get the £300 million Borders Railway link up to scratch in time for trains to start running in summer 2015. Seven new stations – at Shawfair, Eskbank, Newtongrange, Gorebridge, Stow, Galashiels and the end of the line at Tweedbank – will be built along the 35-mile route from Waverley to the Borders. |
| 2014 | Network Rail denies Dawlish plan [Railnews] | NETWORK RAIL has denied reports that it has chosen another rail route through Devon, avoiding the vulnerable coastal stretch through Dawlish. Damage to the Great Western Main Line caused by storms in south Devon will take some time to repair. Network Rail now says the link is unlikely to be restored befor April, and the number of flights between London and Cornwall will be doubled from tomorrow. But the company has denied a BBC report which claimed that the former Southern main line through Dartmoor via Okehampton and Tavistock had been selected for reopening, providing an inland alternative between Exeter and Plymouth. A Network Rail source commented to Railnews: "I think there have been a few assumptions here, and they are not true." In a statement about the former Southern line, Network Rail said: "It was closed in the 1960s and the land was sold off and built on. It would require substantial engineering, including new bridges and viaducts, before a new line could be constructed. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2015 | Residents^ misery over reopened Stirling railway line [BBC News] | Residents living close to a reopened stretch of railway line, used by freight trains, say their lives have become a misery. Stirling Council is to make a decision on whether it will take legal action. |
| 2015 | Borders Railway track laying complete [BBC News] | The longest domestic railway to be built in the UK in more than 100 years has reached a significant milestone. Track-laying has been completed for the new link between the Borders and Edinburgh. The operation began at Shawfair station, south-east of the capital, in October. Engineers have used a specialist rail installation machine to lay the track along the 30-mile route to Tweedbank. |
| 2016 | Mind the Gap: Great Central Railway to be joined after 40 years [BBC News] | Work to reconnect two parts of a railway line which was divided into two over three decades ago is due to begin later. The Great Central Railway, between Leicester and Nottingham, was left with a 500m gap after a bridge was removed. A new bridge, in Loughborough, will rejoin both parts of the 18-mile (29km) railway, described by its owners as the ^UK^s only main line heritage railway^. The £8m project is due to be completed by 2019. |
| 2016 | Midland Metro LRVs to go catenary-free [IRJ] | WEST Midlands transport authority Centro announced on February 12 that it is planning to upgrade Midland Metro^s fleet of 21 CAF Urbos low-floor LRVs for catenary-free operation as part of plans to extend the light rail line through Birmingham city centre. The vehicles entered service last year on the 20km line from Wolverhampton to Birmingham Snow Hill, which was extended to Bull Street on December 6. Trams will begin running to Stephenson Street outside the recently-rebuilt New Street station later this year. Retrofitting the Urbos fleet with roof-mounted batteries will enable catenary-free operation on the next phase of the line, a 1.3km extension from Stephenson Street to Centenary Square, which will open in 2019. This will obviate the need to erect catenary in front of the 182-year-old Town Hall in Victoria Square. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2018 | Minister reveals plan to shunt every diesel train from the tracks by 2040 [Telegraph] | Every diesel train in Britain should be scrapped by 2040, the Rail Minister will announce today amid plans to drastically cut pollution on Britains rail network. Jo Johnson will call on rail companies to follow the automotive industry by switching to alternative fuels and battery technology. |
| 2018 | Stagecoach East Coast deal to be probed by MPs [BBC News] | The decision to end the East Coast Mainline rail franchise early is to come under scrutiny from MPs. The Department for Transport has said Stagecoach and Virgin will withdraw from running the service within months after running into difficulties. Now the House of Commons transport committee has announced that it will hold an inquiry into the matter. Rail Minister Jo Johnson acknowledged the companies overbid for the right to run the service. He told the BBC^s Today programme: ^They overbid, it^s very simple and the department is looking very carefully into the bidding process to ensure there aren^t any incentives for bidders to overbid.^ |
| 2018 | ScotRail Class 385 fishbowl windscreen safety concern [BBC News] | Aslef has warned that modifications must be made to ScotRail^s new Class 385 electric trains - or its drivers will refuse to work them. The train drivers^ union is concerned that the curved windscreen is leading reflections of others signals at night. Drivers identified the problem on a recent evening test run between Glasgow Central and Paisley Gilmour Street. The units are due to come into service on the Edinburgh Waverly to Glasgow Queen Street service in March. Drivers reported that they could ^view two or three signals when we should have been viewing only one^. Kevin Lindsay from Aslef, said: ^ScotRail is trying to get Hitachi to come up with a solution but, so far, I^m afraid, they have failed. ^I^ve informed ScotRail that we won^t allow these trains to come into service like this.^ |
| 2018 | Austria train crash: At least one dead and more than 22 people injured in Niklasdorf rail collision [Independent] | A woman has been killed and 22 people injured after two passenger trains collided in central Austria. Three children were among those hurt when a train crashed the side of another near the station in Niklasdorf, a town 40 miles north of the city of Graz. Several carriages were derailed by the crash, in the province of Styria. |
| 2019 | Bid underway to turn Scots power station site into cruise ship port [The Herald] | It is an industry riding high on the crest of a wave in Scotland, bringing hundreds of thousands of visitors to the country. [Railscot note: this article refers to the former Cockenzie Power Station.] |
| 2019 | Calls for more investment in Harry Potter train service [Press and Journal] | Pressure is mounting on ScotRail and Network rail to cater for increasing numbers of tourists in the West Highlands. |
| 2019 | Cumbrian passengers to benefit from multi-million-pound stations investment [Network Rail] | Railway stations on the Cumbrian coast, Lakes and Furness lines will be improved this year as part of a £15 million benefits package for passengers in the North. |
| 2019 | ScotRail Class 314 departs for scrapyard [ScotRail YouTube] | Another of the Class 314 trains on its final journey to the scrapyard earlier this afternoon. Unit 213 has officially left the fleet. |
| 2019 | ScotRail Foundation awards £7,000 to community projects in Glasgow [ScotRail] | A visual arts display in Glasgow Central Station and a community music festival in the city have been given the go-ahead thanks to almost £7,000 worth of grants from the ScotRail Foundation Cultural and Arts Fund. The ScotRail Foundation is part of the ScotRail in the Community initiative and aims to empower residents making a positive difference in their local community. |
| 2020 | Linking up Troon and Loans through exciting new route [Ayr Advertiser] | Troon railway station is to be linked up with Loans through an innovative new walking and cycling link. |
