Contents

September 2009. No. 1,301. Vol 155. A journal of record since 1897

Headline News DfT announces £1bn electrifi cation of GW main line; Government poised to take over National Express East Coast; Two tenders behind an A4; Grand Central ‘Adelante’ unveiled; Siemens reveals ‘Desiro City’ train; Testing begins in USA for new Class 70 locos; York wins barrier battle; DBS livery for Class 37s.

Right: Storm clouds gather over NXEC – p8.

On the cover

MAIN IMAGE : New look on the East Coast Main Line – Grand Central Railway’s ‘Adelante’ No. 180112, is captured at Sandy on July 25, en route from Wolverton Works to Heaton depot. (To emphasise the image of the train and make the headline text legible, the catenary has had to be digitally removed.) JOHN PINK INSET : First glimpse of Freightliner’s Class 70 in the US. GE/FREIGHTLINER

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Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest

56 Steam & Heritage 92 Squadron not for sale; GCR gets 75mph approval; Bristol trains lead to WSR loss; L&Y ‘A’ class drops a plug; Tyseley to sell Pannier; Patriot frames drilled. 66 Railtours ERTMS breakthrough for steam; Stephen Cornish

Sans Pareil shows its true colous. See Steam News – p50.

farewell special; No steam paths past Honiton?

70 Narrow Gauge Eight steam at Statfold; Waterman to restore Garratt.

72 Traction & Stock Virgin shows off ‘Pendo’-style Mk 3s; Class 378s begin service; Dutch 58s for France.

78 Network Falling gutter hits train; New test track for Network Rail; c2c punctuality matches Swiss; New lounge at Crewe.

80 Classic Traction Hydraulics back at WSR; Second Cl 37 for Pontypool.

83 World News Tasmania buys back railways; Tour for Holocaust train.

86 Operations Our monthly round-up of news from the train operating companies.

92 Disposals and Stock Spot Repainted, named, sold or scrapped? Full details here.

Regulars

12 Multiple Aspects Columnist Lord Berkeley shares his opinions on the state of Britain’s railways.

27 Subscription Offer More and more readers are subscribing. Why not join them and never worry about The RM being sold out.

28 Readers’ Platform Streamliners, DVDs, health & safety and phtotography permits are among your ‘soapbox’ topics this month.

39 Location, Location, Location Our linesider’s guide tells you how to reach the best locations for railway photography.

47 Heritage Diary Where to go for steam and classic traction this summer.

47 100 Years Ago A look back to what The RM was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.

Location, Location, Location visits Rugeley Trent Valley on the busy West Coast Main Line – p39.

96 Meetings A summary of club meetings and fi lm shows of interest to railway enthusiasts.

98 Prize Crossword Your chance to win £100 worth of books in our popular prize crossword.

99 Reader Holiday Offer

Above: With two tenders in tow for the fi rst time, A4 No. 60019 Bittern sparkles in the morning sun as it prepares to leave King’s Cross on July 25 with ‘The Brighton Belle’ – a special to York organised by the 5BEL Trust. The loco and second tender performed faultlessly on a high-speed run. See Headline News. Picture: NICK PIGOTT

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