Contents

April 2009. No. 1,296. Vol 155. A journal of record since 1897

Headline News Japanese selected for £7.5bn IEP train order; Prince Charles names Tornado – and it does haul the Royal Train!; Snow brings rail chaos; Virgin nameplate sale raises £100,000; Souter takes controls at SWT; More paths for East Coast open access operators; plus full details of the Eastleigh open days.

Royal naming for Tornado – p9

On the cover

MAIN IMAGE : A1 No. 60163 heads south past St Neots while making its debut on the GN main line to King’s Cross on February 7. See pages 8/9. JOHN HUNTING

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INSET : A computergenerated image of a Hitachi ‘Super Express’ – the train selected by the DfT as replacement for the IC125s and IC225s. See pages 6/7. AGILITY TRAINS

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Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest

60 Steam News Royal Scot moved to Crewe as repairs near £1m; Olton Hall to visit Toddington; WSR rail-grinding report. 71 Railtour News Statesman Rail back after ten-year gap; ‘Cromwell’ lined up for Eastleigh; Charters return to Penistone. 76 Network News Thousands fl ock to East Mids Parkway; Council buys Weymouth Quay line; £26m for brighter Paddington.

Pink Floyd: Yes, it’s a Class 86! See Traction & Stock – p82

78 Narrow Gauge News New Garratt steams at Ffestiniog; Bagnall Bonanza. 80 Miniature News Dobwalls project needs planning permission. 82 Traction & Stock News Class 86s for Hungary; Virgin re-works ‘Voyagers’. 89 Classic Traction News GCR diesel trains steam-heated; TV role for Class 40. 92 Metro News Nexus shortlists four bidders; New trams take shape. 92 Freight News Gauging for new Telford terminal; First Fratton freight. 93 World News Turkey to assemble GE diesels; High-speed for Moscow. 94 Operations News Our monthly round-up of news from the train operating companies. 100 Disposals and Stock Spot Repainted, sold or scrapped? Full details here.

Regulars

16 Multiple Aspects Columnist Lord Berkeley shares his opinions on the state of Britain’s railways. 16 Railways in Parliament A look at recent railway items raised by the politicians of both Houses. 28 Readers’ Platform A ‘Platform Special’ on barriers and the lack of availability of platform tickets is this month’s topic. 31 Subscription Offer More and more readers are subscribing. Why not join them and never have to worry again about The RM. 49 Location, Location, Location Our linesider’s guide tells you how to reach the best locations for railway photography. 50 Reviews A selection of book and DVD reviews. 57 Heritage Diary Where to go for steam this spring.

‘The issue of platform tickets’. Readers’ Platform – p28

103 Events Diary A summary of club meetings and fi lm shows of interest to railway enthusiasts.

106 Prize Crossword Your chance to win £100 worth of books in our popular prize crossword. 107 Slovenian Holiday ad Travel with PTG and The RM to Slovenia.

ABOVE : Much of the country was covered in thick snow at the beginning of February, including the South-west of England. In picture postcard conditions, First Great Western power cars Nos. 43091 and 43180 work the 08.18 Paddington to Exeter service past Beam Bridge on the climb to Whiteball tunnel. BRIAN GARRETT

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