This day in history 13 March
Images
Canklow: Johnson 'half-cab' 1F 0-6-0T no 41708 stands amongst the locomotives in the yard outside 41D Canklow Shed on 13 March 1966.
Canklow: One of the five original Kitson 0F 0-4-0STs built in 1932, no 47001, stands on 41D Canklow shed on 13 March 1966 around the time of its official withdrawal.
Bowling Harbour: 'MV Maid of Argyll' moored at Bowling during the winter season break in March 1966.
Canklow: 41D Canklow Shed loco line up on the 13th of March 1966, comprising L-R tanks engines 41708; 41533; 41734; 41528; & 47001.The smokebox of 61051 is just visible on right, and 9F 92201 rests beyond the coaling stage line.
Bowling Harbour: MV 'Maid of Argyll' moored at Bowling Harbour's coaling wharf during the winter season break. The white building was the Harbour Master's office.
Cardonald: Black 5 45455, nearing Cardonald, with the 15.57 Glasgow to Gourock on 13th March 1967.
Polmadie Shed: Kingmoor Black 5 45455 sets off from Polmadie to take charge of the 15.57 service from Glasgow to Gourock on 13th March 1967.
Cardonald: Kingmoor Black 5 45455, complete with snowplough, was borrowed by Polmadie for the 3.57pm Glasgow to Gourock on 13th March 1967. The train is seen nearing Cardonald.
Craiglockhart: A short fitted freight hauled by BRCW Type 2 No. D5310 emerges from under the Union Canal and Colinton Road in March 1970 to pass between the disused platforms of Craiglockhart station. The train is thought to be the early running 13.15 Perth to Millerhill.
Polmadie Shed: A contrast in noses at Polmadie - class 50 No. 429, the now preserved class 40 No. 306 and an unidentified Peak, probably of the class 45 variety, in the yard on 13th March 1971.
Polmadie Shed: The front of Polmadie shed on an overcast March afternoon in 1971. The shed yard seems strangely deserted, although the yellow ends betray the presence of locomotives of classes 17, 24 and 50 inside, while the silhouettes on the left suggest further variety in the shape of classes 08 and 20.
Polmadie Shed: A line up of Type 4 diesel power at Polmadie shed in March 1971, comprising two class 47s, Nos. 1842 and 1956 (?), class 50 No. 429 and green class 40 No. 306. Train 4S31 was an overnight Rootes/Chrysler company train from Gosford Green (Coventry) to Linwood see image [[6314]].
Polmadie Shed: View south east from Polmadie Road bridge on 13 March 1971 showing Polmadie signalbox, a wartime construction dating from about 1940. Beyond the box on the left is the shed yard with the noses of a Clayton and an EE Type 1 visible, otherwise little sign of life.
Hythe: A permanent way gang at work at Hythe, Colchester on the morning of Sunday March 13th 1977. Apart from the track, platform and cantenary, every major structure in this view has vanished. The crossing is now worked by automatic barriers and the background buildings have been replaced by a Tesco store. Also long gone is the informal way of working. Such gangs supplied their own working clothes, had steel-capped boots as their only protection, and were quite comfortable with members of the public coming to watch their efforts at close quarters.
Kings Cross: Externally traffic - scarred, but internally as fit as a proverbial butcher's dog (one of impeccable pedigree, naturally), locomotive 55 017 The Durham Light Infantry arrives to take command of its train at around 11.20 a.m. on Monday March 13th 1978. It will shortly race up the ECML to Edinburgh at speeds in excess of 100 mph.
Leaflet: Culross Special train service: the front cover and second part of the highly informative official leaflet. It was written by Jim Aird of Scotrail (BR) Dept of Public Affairs. (With thanks to John Yellowlees).
Leaflet: The first part of the text including a useful map. Note the somewhat over-optimistic assertion about Alloa station! It has been reproduced for the summer Scotrail 'Forth Circle' steam specials. This comprehensive and fascinating leaflet was produced by Jim Aird of the Public Affairs Dept of Scotrail (BR). (With thanks to John Yellowlees).
Calder Grove: 58040 waits amongst the shrubbery on the left of the photograph for permission to leave the British Oak Disposal Point exchange sidings on 13 March 1993 as Pacer no 142079 passes with a service for Sheffield.
Calder Grove: 58040 Cottam Power Station crosses the River Calder at Broad Cut, Calder Grove, on 13 March 1993, immediately after leaving the British Oak exchange sidings.
Brunstane: Construction work well advanced at the new Brunstane station in March 2002, some 3 months before opening.
Alloa [1st]: Looking east over the recently cleared site of Alloa station.
Clackmannan and Kennet: East of Clackmannan weed clearance goes on. This view looks east. The line is due for re-opening for freight between Alloa and Kincardine and passengers between Alloa and Stirling.
Auchinleck: A train of loaded coal hoppers southbound through Auchinleck station on a chilly 13 March 2006. The train is double headed by a pair of EWS class 66 locomotives, with 66177 nearest the camera.
Invershin: Invershin with provision for bicycles, but not cars. The building belongs to the nearby house.
Kinbrace: Looking south from the level crossing at Kinbrace.
Kildonan: Kildonan looking north from the level crossing. Difficult to imagine the goldrush here now.
Dunrobin Castle: Looking north from Dunrobin in March 2006. Alas the carriage shed has gone.
Auchinleck: A Carlisle - Glasgow Central service arrives at Auchinleck station in March 2006.
Forth Bridge: The afternoon sun casts lengthy shadows onto the piers of the Forth Bridge on 13 March 2007 as a northbound service leaves South Queensferry and heads for Fife.
Markinch Viaduct: An Edinburgh - Markinch service slows over the viaduct on the approach to its destination on 13 March 2007.
Markinch: Aberdeen train standing under the newly installed footbridge at Markinch on 13 March 2007 as work continues in the background on the new interchange.
Markinch: Soon to be forsaken for something younger. The stately old station building at Markinch on 13 March 2007. See image [[15950]]
Glasgow Central: Was it something I said? 90021 sitting alone waiting for signals to enter Glasgow Central on 13th March
Stirling: View south at Stirling on 13 March showing the new pedestrian bridge under construction across the station. On the left stands a First ScotRail Glasgow - Stirling service, soon to be extended to Alloa.
Lancaster [1st]: Only used for passengers from 1840 to 1849, although goods trains continued to a yard just behind this building until the 1960s. Lancaster Greaves, better known locally as Penny Street station, was replaced by Lancaster Castle station when the Carlisle extension opened. It has been an NHS building for many years and is part of the Lancaster Royal Infirmary complex.
Glasgow Central: 156467 passing the signal at Platform 11 as it departs Glasgow Central for Paisley Canal on 13th March
Glasgow Central: NXEC 91109 arriving at Glasgow Central on 13 March to form a service for London Kings Cross
Caton: The westerly bridge at Caton Crook O Lune is more difficult to see than its sister bridge to the east. See image [[18602]] They are both impressive structures, now limited to carrying a cycle path since closure to trains in 1966. View west towards Halton and Lancaster at Map Reference SD 520647.
Curriehill: Saltire liveried 156 494 leaves Curriehill with an Edinburgh Waverley - Glasgow Central service on 13 March.
Greenlaw: The former Greenlaw station (1863) seen from the old road bridge on 13 March 2009. Greeenlaw closed to passengers in 1948.
Marchmont: The old Berwickshire Railway station at Marchmont, between Duns and Greenlaw, in March 2009.
Greenlaw: What may appear at first glance to be wooden platform remains east of Greenlaw station, seen here in March 2009, is in fact part of the stabilising wall for the embankment. Part of the main station building, now a private residence, can be seen just beyond and to the right of the bridge in the background.
Leyland: Multiple units pass on the slow lines at the south end of Leyland station on 13 March 2010. On the left is 156459 on a Blackpool North to Liverpool service, while on the right is 150207 arriving with the reverse working.
Stirling: A Turbostar from Alloa ready to depart Stirling on 13 March on a service to Glasgow Queen Street.
Farington Curve Junction: A 153 unit on a Preston to Ormskirk service has just joined the single line at Farington Curve Junction on 13 March 2010. The tracks on the right lead to Lostock Hall and East Lancashire while the WCML can be seen in the background.
Whitrope Siding: A recently acquired diesel shunting locomotive stands at the WRHA centre at Whitrope on 13 March 2010. The Fowler 0-6-0 DH (works no 4240015), which was once employed at Hartlepool nuclear power station, arrived on 9 December 2009 following a spell at the Rutland Railway Museum.
Whitrope Siding: Looking back towards the WRHA centre at Whitrope on 13 March from the southern limit of the relaid track just north of the Golden Bridge. The B6399 road runs past on the right.
Whittingham Hospital: Crumbling remains of part of Whittingham Hospital station, the brickwork marking part of the former waiting area. The station was never staffed as the trains were free to use for staff and visitors alike. The row of concrete blocks mark the line of the former platform in this view looking east from the hospital towards Grimsargh. There are several pictures of the hospital station and railway in operation in David Hindle's new history of the Longridge branch line. Photo taken with kind permission of NHS staff.
Whittingham Hospital: All that remains of the fairly substantial hospital railway station are the ten concrete blocks that used to support the platform, sidescreens and canopy and the crumbling brick base of the old waiting area. The blocks are seen here in March 2011 looking along the last bit of trackbed towards the yard, where the former engine shed still stands. The line closed completly in 1957. The old station, yard and engine shed are all on private land - photograph taken with kind permission of NHS staff. Map Ref SD 571359.
Farington: Looking north along the WCML towards Preston at Farington on 13 March 2011. A Blackpool to York service is heading east towards Lostock Hall in the hands of a hybrid 3-car Class 158 unit.
Sandy: Looking South-East towards Sandy station see image [[27367]] in March 2011. This is the point where the Bedford to Cambridge line crossed the ECML. The far pier is graffiti'd in blue. This view is best seen in winter!
Whittingham Hospital: Some sections of the Whittingham Hospital Railway trackbed have reverted to farmland but the original boundary fence survives. This view is towards Grimsargh from the edge of the hospital site in 2011. See image [[35620]] for the same location around 1950. Access by kind permission of NHS staff.
York: A Grand Central HST arrives at York on 13 March 2012 en route to Sunderland from Kings Cross.
National Railway Museum York: The signalbox track circuit diagram from Aberdeen South SB (marked as LMSR 1947) photographed at the NRM York on 13 March 2012 strapped to a series of crowd control barriers. This is just one of thousands of exhibits in the area known as 'The Warehouse'. This area is an absolute Aladdin's Cave of many real railway gems which may not have the same appeal to the general public as the larger exhibits in the adjacent Great Hall.
York: Scene south west of York station on 13 March 2012 where the remains of two North Eastern Railway roundhouses have been uncovered during excavation work for a new Network Rail operational facility and training centre. See image [[29027]]
Oskova: Both locos in this view at Oskova on the Banovici coal system formally ran on the Jugoslavian Railways 760mm gauge network. In mid March 2013, B-B diesel-hydraulic No. 740 108 was employed between the mines and Oskova Sidings, while 0-8-2 No. 83 159 was taking care of the final quarter of a mile to the washery. Here it has just completed a tour of duty and the disposal crew are enjoying an afternoon break prior to taking the loco back to the depot in Banovici.
Borthwick Bank Signal Box: Scene at Borthwick Bank on 13 March 2014 looking north towards Fushiebridge. For the view seven years earlier see image [[24215]].
Huddersfield: The Huddersfield Water Tower, home of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships, photographed on 13 March 2014 see image [[46632]].
Borthwick Bank Signal Box: Restoration work on the cutting at Bortwick Bank on 13 March 2014, looking in the general direction of Gorebridge. Crew training turns started running over the route some 15 months later.
Oskova: Former JZ 760mm gauge diesel-hydraulic No. 740113 stands alongside the coaling stage at Oskova on 13 March 2014, after arriving with a train from the loading point at Turija. The coal will be taken to the washery by 0-8-2 No. 83159 see image [[42938]], before 740113 takes the next rake of empties back to Turija.
Tynehead: Neat looking trackbed running north from Tynehead on 13 March 2014.
Fushiebridge [1st]: View south from Fushiebridge on 13 March 2014.
Barton and Broughton: 56087 rumbles south on the WCML near Barton and Broughton with the daily Carlise Yard to Chirk logs. On this windless afternoon the Colas Class 56 could be heard powering this heavy train long before it actually appeared, something that doesn't really happen with more modern traction.
Huddersfield: The statue of Harold Wilson seems to look on in approval at a ceremony taking place on 13 March at the Huddersfield Water Tower, home of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships. Network Rail's Jerry Swift is in the process of unveiling the National Railway Heritage Award at the invitation of Awards Chairman, former ScotRail director John Ellis.
Huddersfield: Some of the plaques adorning Huddersfield Water Tower, home of the Association of Community Rail Partnerships. See image [[46632]]
Newtongrange [1st]: Site of the original (1908) station at Newtongrange on 13 March 2014, looking north from the A7 road bridge.
Fushiebridge [2nd]: Looking north over the site of Fushiebridge station on 13 March.
Canterbury West: 395 Javelin unit from London St. Pancras International to Margate, via HS1 to Ashford International, now on domestic tracks calling at Canterbury West station in Kent, looking back towards Ashford, on 13th March 2014.
See query 2033
Tynehead: Crossing movement at Tynehead, looking south from the road bridge on 13 March 2014. Note the substantial stacks of concrete sleepers now stored in the old goods yard behind the trees top left. See image [[24761]]
Oskova: Another view of woebegone 0-6-0T USA-type tank 62.677 see image [[46965]] taken on the afternoon of 13 March 2014. The high level narrow gauge tracks here at Oskova are on the top of the embankment on the right (just above the top of the shadow cast by the lighting mast).
Hardengreen Viaduct: The Borders Railway bridge over Hardengreen roundabout looking north along the A7 on 13 March 2014, approximately a month on from the deck being lifted into position. A Dalek seems to have materialised near the south end of the bridge and is waving to passing motorists.
Tynehead: Station House, Tynehead, looking south east from the road bridge on 13 March 2014. Entrance to the up platform was via a steep stairway just beyond the wall on the right. The goods yard was located behind the building see image [[24391]].
King's Gate Junction: Onward. The machines moving south from Sheriffhall on 13 March 2014.
Gothenburg Central: Night scene at Gothenburg Central station following the arrival of the train from Copenhagen Kastrup Airport [on the right] on 13 March 2015.
Euxton Junction: A pair of Class 185s come west from Buckshaw Parkway on the approach to Euxton Jct on 13 March 2015. The service has come from Manchester Airport and is heading to Blackpool North. The area to the left is part of the former Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley but since this photo was taken the area is now part of the Buckshaw Village housing estate.
Lancaster: DRS 57012 and 57002, on the Down Fast line through Lancaster station on 13 March taking three nuclear flasks from Crewe to Sellafield.
Kastrup Airport: An Oresundstag ET Class emu about to leave Kastrup Airport in Denmark to travel to Malmo in Sweden via the Oresund Bridge.
Gothenburg: HSS Stena Carisma, laid up for sale in Gothenburg on 13th March 2015. These high speed catamaran ferries have proved to be too expensive to operate.
Chorley Tunnel: 142032 is seen approaching the western end of Chorley Tunnel in March 2015 with a service to Manchester. On the approach to the tunnel the train will pass under the Flying Arches, see image [57669]
Glencorse: Surviving abutment of a former railway bridge that once spanned an access road just south of Glencorse, photographed in March 2016. The freight only single line ran from Glencorse goods yard to reach coal workings and a gasworks in the the Penicuik area. View north west from the footpath alongside the A701 on 13 March 2016. See image [[32818]]
Edinburgh Waverley: Thunderbird and Sleeper locos won't be able to sit here once Platforms 5 and 6 have been lengthened.
Eskbank: 170 414 bringing the message of the Borders Railway to, well, the Borders Railway at Eskbank on 13/03/2017. Being a fair bit south of the old Eskbank & Dalkeith station it is further away from Dalkeith town centre (and indeed is on the southern edge of Eskbank). It is however not too far from Bonnyrigg and a full station car park suggests Midlothian commuters have got the message.
Scottish Maritime Museum: The 'Kyles' afloat at Irvine in 2017, although she is now ashore for remedial work. She is described by the Maritime Museum as the oldest Clydebuilt vessel afloat. I have repeatedly pointed out that she was built in Paisley at J. Fullerton & Co's Merksworth Yard, and that is nowhere near the Clyde but on the River White Cart. The message never gets through. Built as a steamer in 1872 and then operated as a motor vessel from 1945.
Newtongrange: 170414 leaving Newtongrange working today's 1054 Edinburgh-Tweedbank. The Borders unit on a Borders train.
Tweedbank: My first 'First Class' seat since 4 Jan 1969. All the way from Gala to Tweedbank! The 14.17 ex Gala 170 at the Tweedbank terminus.
Carnforth: Colas Rail 37099 brings up the rear on a Network Rail Management Train that was working from Derby to Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast line on 13th March 2018. Pulling power on this leg was fellow EE Type 3 37421.
Leven Viaduct [Cumbria]: The Leven Viaduct is just as impressive as the Kent Viaduct at Arnside but not quite so accessible for lineside photography. 37402 heads the morning service from Preston to Barrow over the causeway and on to the bridge on 13th March 2018.
Lancaster: Virgin 390127 just squeezes onto Platform 3 at Lancaster in time to reveal DB 90040 southbound on the Up Fast line heading for Daventry on 13th March 2018. EWS liveried 90028 was working in multiple on this intermodal service but out of sight behind the Pendolino.
West Calder: The former goods yard at West Calder, complete with surviving shed, seen on 13 March. The location is a compound for the Holytown to Midcalder Junctions electrification.
Drigg: Grab shot, from a northbound train, of the Barrow platform at Drigg on 13th March 2018. Since my last visit See image [[44028]] the portable steps have been replaced with a Harrington Hump, as at most of the stations on this line.
Corkickle: Cumbrian Coast Bubble Car 153331 pulls away from the stop at Corkickle and heads into the tunnel with a northbound service on 13th March 2018. The tunnel effectively runs platform to platform between this station and Whitehaven.
Barrow-in-Furness: 68018 Vigilant in bay Platform 3 at Barrow-in-Furness, newly arrived with a passenger service from Carlisle and about to return there on the rear of the train. This was 13th March 2018, the second day of Class 68 haulage of one of the Cumbrian Coast passenger diagrams.
Barrow-in-Furness Carriage Sidings: Grab shot, from a service departing Barrow for Carlisle, showing 37402 and train making their way into the carriage sidings after arriving from Preston. 13th March 2018.
Aberdeen: 158717 attached to 170451 at Aberdeen on 13th March 2018 ready to work the 1726 Inverness service. The 170 had come in empty and the 158 from Glasgow Queen Street where it had left at 1441.
Corkickle: 68018 Vigilant brings up the rear of a Barrow to Carlisle passenger service as it pulls away from Corkickle and enters the single bore Whitehaven Tunnel on 13th March 2018, the second day of Class 68 operation on some of these trains.
Aberdeen: Having brought the 0710 HST from Leeds into Aberdeen spot on time 43308 is seen at the buffers. It bears the legend 'Virgin Trains - Most Reliable HST Golden Spanner Award 2016' and is named 'Highland Chieftain'.
Corkickle Brake: Over thirty years of vegetation growth has completely covered most of the actual Corkickle Brake incline but right at the foot this small building survives next to the Meadow View road bridge. Presumably this was where the men connecting and disconnecting the wagons to the cable were based. Beyond here the tracks fanned out into the exchange sidings, again now heavily overgrown, where a BR shunter sorted the incoming and outgoing wagons. 13th March 2018.
Corkickle: Will it fit? 68017 pulls away from Corkickle with a service for Carlisle on 13th March 2018. Ahead is the single track tunnel that separates this station from Whitehaven. The semaphore signal is controlled by Bransty signal box.
Glasgow Central: 156485, One of the few 156s left in First livery waits for passengers at Glasgow Central on 24th February 2018.
West Calder: 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?
Bay Horse: 37402 propels the Carlisle to Preston service through the site of Bay Horse station on 13th March 2018. Two months later this same loco was in charge of the last Class 37 hauled services from Preston and Lancaster before they ceased with the timetable change.
Barrow-in-Furness: Enthusiasts swarm over the platforms at Barrow on 13th March 2018 during the few minutes when the two loco hauled trains are both in the station together. 37402, newly arrived from Preston will head for the carriage sidings for a layover of approximately three hours before continuing north. 68017 on the left will shortly depart for Carlisle on the 1140 service on the second day of Class 68 operations.
Carnforth: Colas 37421, negotiating the sharp curve at Carnforth, heads for Carlisle via the Cumbrian Coast with a Network Rail Measurement Train on 13th March 2018.
Kirkby-in-Furness: The Furness Fells of the Lake District form a back drop as DRS 68017 accelerates towards Foxfield after the Kirkby-in-Furness stop. The train is a Barrow to Carlisle service on 13th March 2018.
Glen Ogle Viaduct: Remains of Glen Ogle viaduct on the one-time Callander & Oban line, closed in 1965, seen from bus from Killin to Callander, on the afternoon of 13th March 2019.
Killin [2nd]: The site of the small goods yard at Killin (on left), closed in 1965, looking north along the trackbed towards Loch Tay, on 13th March 2019. Now a council-run depot with no visible signs of the railway. This view, with the station site behind the camera, is a very sad comparison with historical pics of Killin station when the line was running.
Malton: DRS Trans-Pennine liveried 68022 & 68023 head west approaching Malton signal box and level crossing on 13 March 2019, whilst running from Scarborough to Manchester Longsight during one of the regular periods of driver training along the line.
Malton: Storm Gareth caused terminal damage to the signal gantry and signal head over the through westbound line at Malton Station during the night of 12 March 2019, as seen in this view looking over the track layout at the west end of the station platform.
Malton: Close up of the decapitated signal gantry at Malton Station, wrecked during Storm Gareth on the night of 12 March 2019. Image taken the following morning from the west end of the station platform.
Stirling: 156431, to Glasgow Queen Street, calling at Stirling on 13th March 2019.
Stirling: 170411 to Glasgow Queen Street, departing from Stirling, on 13th March 2019.
Killin Viaduct: View looking north-east from just past the site of Killin station towards Loch Tay, on 13th March 2019. Though Killin remained open until 1965, served from Killin Junction on the Callendar & Oban Line that closed at the same time, the section of line from Killin to Loch Tay lost its passenger service in 1939 but the line was retained until the end of the Killin service to give access to the locomotive shed at Loch Tay.
Ambleside Pier: 'MV Tern', built in 1891 for the Furness Railway, has been operating on Windermere ever since. Seen here berthed at Ambleside Pier in March 2020, she is the oldest vessel operating on the lake and a member of the National Historic Fleet, as are two other ships in the Windermere fleet, 'Teal' and 'Swan'.
Moy: Passing through the landscape at Moy, an unidentified Class 800 Azuma provides the Inverness to London King's Cross sevice as it begins the long journey south in the morning sunshine. 13th March 2020 was probably the nicest day of the year, so far, in these parts.
Moy: Almost there. London Euston to Inverness sleeper, hauled by 66727 'Maritime One' and 73969 on 13th March 2020. Due to reliability problems with the Class 73s in recent months, Class 66s have frequently been seen on the Inverness sleeper service.
Ambleside Pier: Ambleside Pier in March 2020. The ticket office is at the front of the building then the doorway leads through to the jetty for boats to Bowness and Lakeside.
Edinburgh Waverley: GB railfreight 92043 awaits departure time for the Sleeper service, from Platform 11 at Edinburgh Waverley on 13th March 2020.
Windermere: The Terrace, Windermere, in March 2020. Five houses were built for the owners of the Kendal and Windermere Railway in 1854. Originally their gardens ran down to the station but these splendid houses are now holiday rental properties and the frontages have been gravelled for car parking.
See query 2254
McDonald Road [Tram]: Looking north along Leith Walk on 13th March 2020. The yellow sign warns of the road being closed from 28 March for an unspecified period - for tram works! [[21368]]. The yellow shop front in the centre of the frame is Harburn Hobbies model shop.
Lady Victoria Colliery: The offices of the former Lothian Coal Company, standing alongside the A7 at Newtongrange, opposite the site of the Lady Victoria Colliery. This March 2022 view, taken from what is now the car park of the National Mining Museum, shows the refurbished building, which houses the museum's archive, library and admin offices.
Moy: After a wet and windy February and early March 2022, not to mention sleet and snow, it was good to get by the lineside again. On a bright, but very windy 13th March, 57316 'Alnwick Castle is pictured crossing the moor at Moy with 'The Northern Belle' for Inverness.
Events
Events from the chronology which occured on this day. This generally lists events before 1995, the creation of the website.
| Year | Companies | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1848 | Great Southern and Western Railway | Extended from Borris and Roscrea to Thurles. |
| 1856 | Torbanehill and Bathgate Branch (Monkland Railways) | Closed. |
| 1941 | Start of Clydebank Blitz | |
| 1970 | Dingwall and Skye Railway Kyle of Lochalsh Extension (Highland Railway) | Strathcarron to Strome Ferry re-opens (following major rockfall). |
| 2000 | Portpatrick Railway Sea Containers | The Seacat fast ferry service to Belfast is relocated from Stranraer Pier to Troon. |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Rail deal as Action wins £100,000 ramp [Scotsman] | MOTHERS and disabled campaigners were celebrating today after council chiefs committed more than £100,000 to build a new ramp at a railway station. |
| 2004 | Girl hurt after bus hits bridge [BBC News] | A 12-year-old girl suffers head injuries when the bus she was travelling on got stuck under a railway bridge. |
| 2005 | Rail line is set for green light [BBC News] | Plans to reopen a rail line in the Borders are set to get the green light from the Scottish Executive |
| 2005 | Track reaches Merryton on Larkhall Branch | Track has reached just to the north of the new Merryton station on the re-opening Larkhall Branch. A loop has been laid in at Ferniegair and Chatleherault, Merryton and Larkhall stations are under construction. |
| 2007 | 10 legit ways to get cheaper rail fares [BBC News] | Rail ticketing is notoriously arcane, but you can use the rules to get cheaper fares. |
| 2007 | Business chiefs to fast track minister over park site station [Scotsman] | BUSINESS leaders campaigning for better rail services for the Capital^s biggest business park are to take their fight direct to Transport Minister Tavish Scott. |
| 2007 | Speed-up call for rail service [Scotsman] | EDINBURGH MP Mark Lazarowicz was today urging Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander to ensure services between the Capital and London are speeded up. |
| 2008 | MSPs to debate Borders rail funds [BBC News Article] | New funding arrangements for the Borders railway project will be debated by MSPs later. |
| 2008 | Strike signals Easter rail misery [BBC News Article] | Commuters on the East Coast Mainline railway face the prospect of strike action over the Easter period. |
| 2008 | Youth ^sped up^ at rail crossing [BBC News Article] | A 18-year-old admits causing the deaths of two friends by driving dangerously at a level crossing. |
| 2008 | Station Adoption progress at Pollokshaws West [First ScotRail | Pedal power at Pollokshaws West Station is spinning closer to realisation this week following the appointment of an architect to carry out a feasibility study for the introduction of a cycle resource centre. The appointment marks the next phase in the proposed ^adoption^ of Pollokshaws West station by South West Community Cycles, a charity run by a voluntary committee proactive in promoting health and education in the South West of Glasgow. The charity approached First ScotRail in 2007 with a proposal for taking on one of the empty buildings at the station in which to locate a cycle resource centre for the benefit of people living in the area. As a result, First ScotRail is delighted to announce that the Glasgow Buildings Preservation Trust has taken on architect, Richard Shorter, to undertake the feasibility study into the conversion of the identified premises. It is hoped that the study will find the station building suitable for establishing a bicycle hire and repair centre, complete with cycle sales and refurbishment and cycle repair training, situated within close proximity to Pollok Park and ideal for people looking to get out and about by bike. John Yellowlees, external relations manager at First ScotRail, said, "This is the next positive step in this station adoption proposal which we hope will result in a fantastic resource in the south side of the city. The study is being supported by the Railway Heritage Trust, Glasgow City Council and the Architectural Heritage Fund and made possible by our Adopt a Station scheme, which seeks to find new uses for disused buildings at stations. |
| 2010 | Strike ^will not hit rugby fans^ [BBC News Article] | Rugby fans travelling to the Scotland v England match at Murrayfield stadium should not be affected by the rail strike, First ScotRail says. |
| 2010 | China plans bullet trains to 17 nations [Hindustan Times] | China is in global negotiations to spread its high-speed railway network to reach 17 nations and possibly India. By 2013, China will have the world’s biggest high-speed railway network and 800 bullet trains, compared to none until 2008. |
| 2010 | Rail unions claim strike has solid support [BBC News] | Leaders of the RMT union have claimed there is ^rock solid^ support for a 24-hour walkout by rail workers. |
| 2011 | Protests over railway radio masts in Devon and Cornwall [BBC] | MPs and people in Devon and Cornwall living near planned railway radio masts have criticised the structures which do not need planning permission. |
| 2013 | Train operators urged to curb ^excessive^ announcements [BBC] | Transport minister Norman Baker has said the number of computer-generated announcements on trains has got out of hand and needs to be reduced. Many of the speaker messages were irrelevant to passengers and spoiled their journeys, he told the BBC. It was unnecessary, for example, to tell people they were on a non-smoking train when it was banned on all trains. The Association of Train Companies said many passengers found announcements useful but a balance must be struck. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2014 | Obituary: Alastair McPherson, railway chief [Scotsman] | Even has a small boy Alastair McPherson had a fascination for transport and logistics: a drawing of his first bus network still survives, carefully crafted around a fictional town he created, complete with bus stops and interchanges. He would still have been at primary school when he came up with the plan. Later he would collect timetables wherever he went and insist on taking public transport wherever he was holidaying. |
| 2014 | Bromsgrove £17.4m railway station replacement starts [BBC News] | Work on a £17.4m replacement railway station in Worcestershire has started. Plans for the station in Aston Fields, to be built about 320ft (100m) from the existing Bromsgrove station, were approved last year. The station will increase capacity to four platforms with a 350-space car park and should lead to a more frequent rail service between Bromsgrove and Birmingham, train operators said. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2015 | Chiltern rail line reopens after 350,000 tonne landslip [BBC News] | A section of railway closed by a 350,000 tonne landslip in January has reopened. It was originally thought the stretch of the Chiltern Line between Leamington Spa in Warwickshire and Banbury in Oxfordshire would be out of action until Easter. |
| 2015 | Anger at ‘Comatose’ Trams inquiry over delays [Evening News] | THE inquiry into Edinburgh’s trams fiasco is in danger of taking longer than the project itself, an MSP claimed today. Marco Biagi, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Central, said that three months after inquiry chairman Lord Andrew Hardie asked for the help of the public, there was still no opportunity for people to submit evidence. [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2016 | Rail strike threat as union accuses ScotRail of playing ^Russian roulette^ with passengers [Sun] | RAIL workers are to be balloted over strike action in a row over jobs after a union accused ScotRail of playing “Russian roulette†with passenger safety. The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said the move follows ^a severe breakdown in industrial relations^ over cuts. |
| 2016 | Belfast Transport Hub planning underway [Railway Gazette] | UK: Northern Ireland public transport agency Translink is developing plans for an extensive redevelopment of Belfast Great Victoria Street station and the adjacent bus station to form an integrated Belfast Transport Hub with rail, bus, cycle, taxi and car facilities. The current rail and bus stations handle seven million passengers/year, and this is predicted to reach 13 million by 2030. While government and European funding is still to be agreed and planning permission has to be sought for the Hub project, initial site clearance has begun and Translink envisages that construction could start in 2018 for opening in the early to mid-2020s. |
| 2017 | Northern, Southern rail and Merseyrail staff on strike [BBC News] | Rail staff from three firms across England have started 24-hour strikes in a dispute over the role of guards. The RMT^s 30th strike day in its dispute with Southern over plans to make trains driver-only-operated (DOO) has spread to the north of England. Guards and drivers working for Merseyrail and Northern are taking action over similar DOO proposals. |
| 2017 | Bid for Fife rail expansion goes to parliament [Fife Today] | Campaigners for the reintroduction of rail links in Fife have taken their case to Holyrood. The St Andrews Rail Link group (StARLink), represented by convener Jane Ann Liston and secretary Dita Stanis-Traken, made their case to local north east Fife MSP Willie Rennie, along with Dean Lockhart and Mark Ruskell, Mid Scotland & Fife MSPs. |
| 2017 | Chiltern Railways set to test alternative traction system [IRJ] | BRITAINs Railway Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has confirmed that Chiltern Railways will participate in a three-month testing programme of an alternative hybrid traction system as part of the powertrain competition, which is funded by RSSB and Artemis Intelligent Power (AIP). [From Richard Buckby] |
| 2018 | Greater Anglia sued by passenger over ^continuous^ delays [BBC News] | A commuter fed up with ^continually^ delayed trains has won a legal bid for compensation against the rail company. Seph Pochin, of Halesworth, Suffolk, had described the service between his home and Ipswich as ^woeful^, with one train delayed by 100 minutes. A warrant has now been issued for bailiffs to seize Greater Anglia (GA) property after it failed to pay him £350 compensation. GA confirmed it was in a legal dispute with Mr Pochin but could not comment. |
| 2018 | ScotRail performance down for sixth month in a row [Scotsman] | ScotRail punctuality has fallen for a sixth consecutive month and is now at its worst since September 2016, new figures showed today. The key measure on which the operator is judged has fallen to 89.7 per cent of trains arriving within five minutes of time in the year to 3 March. Performance against this industry standard was 0.4 percentage points worse than in the year to February. The figure has also fallen every month since it peaked at 91.2 per cent last August. |
| 2018 | Steam engine Tornado trapped on North Yorkshire Moors Railway [BBC News] | A historic steam locomotive is to be moved by road after it became trapped on a railway line following damage to a bridge. Tornado was unable to leave the North Yorkshire Moors Railway after a bin lorry hit a bridge at Castleton Moor on Monday. The locomotive will now be moved by low-loader on Wednesday. It is due to attend an event at the Severn Valley Railway in Shropshire on Friday. Network Rail said all services on the line had been suspended, with a replacement bus service operating between Middlesbrough and Battersby. |
| 2019 | DB Cargo fined £2.7 million after children seriously injured at rail depot [ORR] | DB Cargo (UK) Ltd has today been fined £2.7 million, with £188,873.89 costs, after being convicted of one offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974... |
| 2019 | Network Rail to complete Aberdeen-Inverurie double-tracking this summer [Network Rail] | Network Rail engineers will be working from May to August to complete a multi-million-pound upgrade to track and signalling between Aberdeen and Inverurie as part of the Aberdeen-Inverness Improvement Project. |
| 2019 | Union condemns Ayr station ^shambles^ as staff crammed into portable cabins [Daily Record] | Railway staff complain they are ^crammed^ into portable cabins at the Station Hotel. And they called for better conditions for workers and customers. It is understood Ayr railway station will never operate from the abandoned building again. Now there are plans for Scotrail workers to move into other portable cabins at the bottom of the car park on Station Road. |
| 2019 | Borderlands secure £345m in support [BBC News] | Funding commitments of more than £300m have been announced for the Borderlands Growth Deal ... Among its main goals was also to look at the feasibility of extending the Borders Railway beyond Tweedbank to Carlisle. |
| 2020 | Cairngorm campaigners dismay as planning application lodged to repair the funicular [Press and Journal] | Highlands and Island Enterprise (HIE) has lodged a planning application to repair the beleaguered funicular railway. But campaigners Save the Ciste say throwing £10 million at repairs will not solve the resorts problems, with skiers disappearing steadily since the closure of two chair lifts and three surface lifts between 2002 and 2007, after the funicular opened. |
| 2020 | Former Highland station on track for a new owner [Press and Journal] | In its heyday, it played a crucial part in the norths thriving whisky trade, a cog in the transport network for a century. But any new owner of Cromdale Station shouldnt expect to see a train any time soon - it closed its doors in 1968. The former stop-off, on the Speyside Way and in the Cairngorms National Park, serviced the many distilleries which lie in the region. It had a reasonable sized goods yard for whisky traffic, with a private line to the local distillery at Balmenach. |
| 2020 | Michael Matheson visits site of storm-damaged Dumfries rail line [Network Rail] | Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity visited the site of the landslip beneath the railway between [[Kilmarnock]] and [[Dumfries]] to review progress and thank the teams for their efforts to get the line open again. |
| 2020 | New ferry scheme aims to help islanders attend urgent medical appointments [Press and Journal] | Scotland’s largest ferry operator is introducing a new scheme that will help islanders attend urgent medical appointments - even if the car deck on the sailing they need is full. |
