Friday 31 August 2012

lochty phoenix

Railway group keen to pick up steam

Published on Friday 24 August 2012 09:30

If patience is a virtue then a group of railway aficionados based in Leven take the attribute to a whole new level.

Nearly 50 years after the founding members of what is now the Kingdom of Fife Railway Preservation Society first volunteered to help a local train lover with a locomotive, they are finally about to start work on restoring their own steam engine.

And when the train, which was the last working steam engine in Fife, eventually steams into life and pulls passengers along a track on the outskirts of Leven, it will be another milestone in ambitious long-term plans to create a railway heritage centre.

The beginnings of the group, which now has around 80 members, was back in 1966 when a few members of Thornton Railway Club offered to help John Cameron, of Lochty Farm, near Anstruther, clean-up an A4 Pacific called ‘Union of South Africa’.

In 1973, British Railways lifted a ban on steam engines, which allowed the development of Lochty Private Railway as a summer tourist attraction.

Rather than just be a collection of volunteers, the arrangement was formalised with the creation of the Fife Railway Preservation Group to run the railway and collect items of rolling stock and other artefacts common to the railways of Fife.

With falling visitor numbers at Lochty, the railway closed in the early 1990s but the group by then had built up a large collection of items and a decision was made to look for a permanent site on which a heritage centre that would eventually show the restored collection could be created.

The group’s framework was reformed into a charitable company, and renamed the society, and in 1994 the collection was moved to temporary storage at Methil Power Station and the nearby Barclay’s Yard.

This temporary arrangement was to last nearly 10 years before the society was able to acquire around 20 acres at the old Kirkland Yard mustering site from British Railways.

As well as a half-mile track, there is now a large workshop and numerous engines and trucks at various stages of restoration.

The collection includes a number of diesel shunter locos. There is the ‘River Eden’, which was from Leuchars aerodrome and was donated by the RAF; the ‘Largo Law’ and ‘Garvie Flyer’, both from Methil Power Station, and the ‘Babcock’, which came from the dockyard at Rosyth.

However, the big news is the ‘Dubbie Pug’, which worked at the Frances pit at Dysart and was the last working steam engine in Fife.

To see it dismantled and lying in pieces, with the 30 years of its disuse reflected in the rust and corrosion, it is difficult to believe it will ever move again.

But retired engineer Jim Danton, who actually served his time with the National Coal Board at the Wellesley working on engines just like the’Dubbie Pug’, has high hopes that with patience, determination and a lot of hard work, the engine could be steaming in about two years.

“It’s key to our plans to create a railway heritage centre that could become a major visitor attraction in Leven,” said chairman Edgar Shields.

this is great!

Baker dismisses BML2 while blaming Brighton Line congestion on competition

Thursday, 30 August 2012 08:44

Regardless of Brighton’s popularity, Norman Baker suggests any new main line services for Sussex should instead go to Seaford

In a BBC interview on Radio Sussex on Bank Holiday Monday, Transport Minister and Lewes MP Norman Baker was questioned about the worsening capacity crisis on the Brighton Main Line and his Government’s lack of a lasting solution. Beyond lengthening all trains to 12 cars, the current administration has nothing to offer, except charging ‘super-peak’ fares to discourage people from travelling by train between 8am and 9am.

The Lib Dem Minister said: “The line is very full at some times of the day, there is no spare capacity and there’s basically a train at every signal and clearly that’s not sustainable.”

When questioned about his allegation of bias towards Brighton over other Sussex towns, he laid the blame squarely on competition, saying: “At the moment there are two separate franchises, one for Southern and one for First Capital Connect and they’re competing for business to Brighton and that means in my view the overlaid services to Brighton.”

Whether such a fundamental policy view on competition is shared by his fellow Conservative ministers and Brighton MPs would be interesting to know.

Asked about the Brighton Main Line 2 Project, Norman said: “Brian and I have slightly different views on what should happen. I want to reopen the Lewes-Uckfield line, Brian is talking about something brand new which is effectively from Uckfield to Brighton which is not quite the same thing, but I think Lewes-Uckfield does make sense and I’ve asked each of the five companies that I’ve written to, to set out their position on that.”

The Wealden Line Campaign has always been clear that it remains firmly behind rebuilding exactly the same railway south of Uckfield and running into Lewes. The only difference is that BML2 incorporates a new 2½ mile link directly towards Brighton, most of which is in a 1½ mile tunnel beneath the South Downs.

Turning to the debate on attaining more capacity in the south, Norman said: “My view in the medium term is that we need to have an alternative line from the Sussex Coast to London because the capacity issues are such that you can only get so many trains on the Brighton Main Line, even with new signalling and everything else and if you had a line which went from Seaford up through Lewes, up to Uckfield to East Croydon and to London that way, that would provide extra capacity.”

The BBC interviewer then asked about BML2 – “the new line from Falmer” which heads through a South Downs tunnel, suggesting: “– there’s no chance of this happening, is there?” to which Norman responded: “I don’t think there is, no, I don’t think there is.”

Sounding more like he was talking about HS2, Norman claimed: “It would be very, very expensive, it would also be very controversial and the last thing we want is a controversial line. We want to get public support united for reopening Lewes-Uckfield, which is what we have got by and large; people are very supportive of that concept and the matter of increasing the cost and increasing the controversy isn’t the way to get this line reopened.”

The BBC show’s host referred to a caller, who was frustrated by conditions on the BML and compared the billions allocated for the proposed HS2 between London and Birmingham “to save 20 minutes” and who then asked why such money wasn’t being invested in the south.

Norman Baker responded: “The high speed line is not about saving journey time, it’s about the capacity issues north of London and the high speed line is actually the best answer to capacity issues.”

He finished by saying: “I’m very hopeful that one of my key demands may well be met which is the ending of the splitting of trains at Haywards Heath which, if we did manage to get rid of that, would cut journey times to Lewes and Eastbourne and Worthing by eight to ten minutes.”

Way back in 1987 the Wealden Line Campaign tried promoting the idea of a new fast main line between London and Seaford, whilst in 2000 Connex suggested diverting Eastbourne services via Uckfield on a new ‘Wealden Main Line’. However, the DfT and rail industry have persistently said the case is too weak because trains on a reinstated Lewes–Uckfield link would face towards Eastbourne, rather than Brighton. That is largely why the 2008 Lewes-Uckfield Reinstatement Study failed.

Project manager Brian Hart said: “I’m rather fond of Seaford, but it plainly isn’t Brighton. The world has moved on since the Campaign started in 1986 and Norman was just a district councillor. Rail demand has rocketed dramatically and to such a point that the Brighton Line is now in very serious trouble. We have to answer today’s problems and that’s why BML2 was developed and is so necessary.”

Campaign chairman, Cllr Duncan Bennett agreed, saying: “Brighton & Hove is the South Coast’s premier destination and for many thousands of people it is an exciting, vibrant place to live, work and visit. Fast new rail connections into and out of the city as well as a direct relief line are needed – not forcing Brighton commuters and day trippers to get out and change trains at Lewes.”

BML2’s additional link through to Brighton could be built for less than £100m whilst the whole of BML2’s Sussex Phase – redoubling, electrifying and opening the Uckfield line directly into Lewes and Brighton would be half the cost of other schemes rejected by Network Rail.

Duncan Bennett said he was dismayed Norman Baker appears unable to see beyond his own constituency interests, rather than the greater good for Sussex – “In this instance he needs to be more the Minister than the MP”.

THIS IS GREAT STUFF!! Nobody is denying that a second route is needed from Brighton to London, the argument is about whether just the Lewes-Uckfield line OR a Lewes-Uckfield plus a new build towards Brighton are needed! I'd go for the extra capacity that second route towards Brighton from Lewes will offer, which will also establish (non High Speed) New Build at last! I'm was brought up in Sussex so this is a line very close to my heart.

Wednesday 29 August 2012

Investors have none of the sentimental wishful thinking or need to win votes that politicians have. They know what they're talking about, as the following piece from The Right Side shows clearly!

Get ready for an oil shock

The price of oil is rising. Throughout July and August, the price of Brent crude oil edged higher – hitting over $115 last week. And that wasn't supposed to happen.

As global growth slows, we're supposed to need less of the black stuff. Then there's all the shale oil production coming out of the USA – that should be depressing the price. But oil is rising. And it's beginning to cause serious problems.

Here in France fuel prices are as high as they've ever been. And the French aren't having any of it. President Hollande has promised to cut prices at the forecourt. He wants make the oil companies pay and kick it back to punters in the form of a tax break...

But by my reckoning, the French and everyone else are going to have to prepare for higher oil prices. Today I'd like to explain why I think we are headed for a serious oil shock. And rather than suffer as prices rise… I'd like to show you how you could profit.

Believe it or not, oil is cheap

An awful lot of work and effort goes into getting your litre of petrol to the forecourt. It starts with exploration, the costs of which are mind-bogglingly high. You need to raise hundreds of millions, if not billions, if you want to drill offshore – and even then, you may not find anything.

If you do, you still need to get it out of the ground from some remote and often inhospitable place. Then it's got be transported, refined and then safely transported again before it reaches your local garage. And let's not forget the government's take...

I mean, just the fuel levy and VAT make up about 60% of what you pay at the forecourt. Then there are all the taxes the government hits the oil companies with.

And yet, despite all of these significant costs, you can still get a litre of petrol for about £1.40. Crikey, I often pay that for a litre of water at the forecourt! Fuel is cheap.

But this happy situation won't last. The recent run up in the oil price may stem from sanctions on Iranian exports and lost output as Hurricane Isaac shuts down production in the Gulf of Mexico, but don't be fooled into thinking this is just a short-term hiccup…

Huge forces are driving the oil price

First we have to look at the oil supply.

We recently noted how precious few investors are willing to fund oil exploration these days. The sector is deeply out of fashion. Yet we desperately need to find more oil. As recently as four years ago, the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned we'd need to invest a massive $20trn in exploration.

But it's not happening. Money is hard to come by in the financial markets today, and even if you can get a load of cash and can make a find, you run the risk of a greedy government coming in and grabbing your bounty.

Of course, the industry hasn't ground to a halt, but there's nowhere near enough exploration going on. And that's going to cause supply issues down the line. Sure, OPEC countries can increase supplies from time to time. But there's no doubt that reserves are dwindling. And supply will remain tight over the coming years. Then there's demand...

After the Fukushima disaster the Japanese switched off their nuclear generators. Germany has indicated it will do the same. And while these guys may be able to find some new ways of producing a bit of sustainable electricity, the burden will fall mainly on conventional fossil fuels.

Then of course there is the growing demand from emerging markets. Despite what you may read, these economies are still growing – and some at a very healthy lick. Just take China. For the most part, China's spent the last 20 years making stuff for the rich west to consume. Yet in the recently released five-year plan they're talking about doing it for themselves. That is, they're looking to use some their resources to lift the living standards of their own folk. Energy requirements will grow for decades to come.

Short of a revolution in sustainable energy, the oil price will only rise. Well, that's my take on it anyway. I totally see that new technology is helping to increase production, but I just can't see it keeping up with global demand.

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Looks like the locals are stirring - at last - in East Lincs. It's finally dawning on them that the disgusting closures of 1970 were wrong even for then, let alone now. There's the usual whining in the following piece about how expensive (if indeed 'impossible') the rebuilding will be, but we know that is drivel. It certainly isn't stopping the Waverley reinstatement or the Somerset and Dorset! Rather than just regretting what happened they need to start getting together a plan to get these lines back again. Because without the railways this area will simply die after oil, or depend purely on horses! Hopefully the book, if it's not too negative, will start this process.

Louth railway closure was wrong says new book

Published on Tuesday 14 August 2012 13:02

ONE of the original team working for the infamous Dr Beeching has said the Louth to Grimsby railway line should never have been closed.

Louth Railway Station was closed in 1970 and is now apartments.

The railway line from Grimsby to Louth stayed open for freight only but closed in 1980.

Now one of Dr Beeching’s key officers speaks out against the closure in a new book.

Beeching: The Inside Track is written by railway author Robin Jones, with the help of Beeching’s former planning officer.

Years after the line closure locals still maintain that it was the wrong decision.

The route was closed to through passenger trains on October 5 1970, after years of people campaigning against the recommendations contained in British Railways chairman Dr Richard Beeching’s landmark report of March 27 1963, The Reshaping of British Railways.

Now, half a century after the publication of that report, the protestors have a new ally, albeit late in the day – in the form of none other the last surviving member of Beeching’s planning team which implemented his infamous closures!

At the time, the line was selected for closure because Beeching was trying to eradicate inter-city routes which ‘doubled up’, and the view was taken that alternative routes from Grimsby to the East Coast Main Line toLondon via Doncaster or Lincoln served far bigger populations.

Yet once the East Lincolnshire route was closed and lifted, that side of the county was left with comparatively poor transport links – a situation which still persists today.

Another route which the Beeching planner believes never should have closed is the Spalding to March line. Axed on November 27 1982, two decades after Beeching, he said that if it had been kept, it would have provided a major freight highway for container traffic from Felixstowe Docks, alleviating the current and increasing pressure on Peterborough station and the East Coast Main Line.

Robin Jones, who is also president of the Lincolnshire Wolds Railway which has rebuilt part of the Grimsby to Louth line as a tourist attraction using steam locomotives, said: “The world of today is very different to that of 1970 when the Grimsby to Peterborough through route closed.

“Imagine the benefits of a dedicated fast route from Grimsby, Cleethorpes and Boston to the capital today, when people commute over even longerdistances rather than pay London housing prices. What better if it were electrified, like the line from King’s Lynn to London?

“Undoubtedly it would bring significant benefits to Grimsby in terms of regeneration and refranchise many towns and villages in terms of public transport while benefiting tourism enormously.

“Sadly, however, over the past four decades, key parts of the trackbed have been built on, making reinstatement of the old line either very expensive or all but impossible.

“Looking back with hindsight, the Lincolnshire folk who fought the closure in vain were not that wide of the mark, it is now realised.”

l Beeching: The Inside Track is published by Mortons Ltd, of Horncastle, priced £6.99.

Friday 10 August 2012

mystery ...

Town fears effect of rail service cuts

Friday, August 10, 2012

Cornish Guardian

TOWN leaders say a cut in rail services to the county could impact on tourism in Fowey and are making moves to prevent it.

Fears have been raised after the Government confirmed that one-third of direct train servicesbetween Cornwall and London are under threat as it unveiled details of the new Great Western rail franchise last week.

The Paddington to Penzance service could fall from nine to six daily, but Cornish MPs insist they will be fighting to retain the current number.

Rail Minister Theresa Villiers has said Cornwall would continue to get nine "journey opportunities" from London, plus the much-cherished sleeper. But only six are guaranteed direct or "through" services, with the remaining three requiring passengers to change in Devon.

Although a mainline railway does not operate out of Fowey, the town council has sent a letter to Ms Villiers expressing its concerns.

Councillor Norman Mason, who proposed it be sent, said any cut in rail services was not sufficient for Cornwall, or for Fowey.

He said: "I feel very strongly that we need to do everything we can to make sure visitors can come to Fowey.

"It is not just tourism, it is business too. How do we travel to London? We are supposed to be ecological, that is what the trains are for.

"It is already bad enough trying to get trains now, so it will only get worse. It is in demand."

The Department for Transport (DfT) last week issued its invitation to tender, which sets out what the Government expects from the four shortlisted bidders wanting to take control of the 15-year franchise from July. The deal was originally slated to start three months earlier.

The DfT has asked bidders to provide costs for nine direct services, and will decide on any cuts when bidders submit their plans. This is expected in October with a new operator appointed in March.

Train firms will also be required to provide costs for a new service every 30 minutes from Penzance to Plymouth or Exeter – which Cornwall Council has pressed for as a replacement for possibly losing the three direct trains.

Vice-chairman of Fowey Chamber of Commerce, Stever Beresford, said he fully supported the move by the council and Mr Mason.

"It cannot possibly be good news," he said. "Our main stance has got to be about businesses. Tourism is our lifeblood. People should be encouraged to come here, not discouraged."

This puzzles me. Rather than worrying about the train service on a main line distant from the town (which surely receives most visitors by road) shouldn't the council, businesses and people of Fowey be fighting to GET THEIR BRANCH LINE BACK?? The line is in situ and used for freight trains, surely the cost of reintroducing a passenger train service would be minimal? Other Cornish branch lines have seen a doubling and more in passenger levels over the last few years. Fowey is missing out on a huge number of visitors who would visit the town by train. I've visited Looe, Newquay, St Ives and Gunnislake - all reachable by train - but I've never visited Fowey. I'm sure it's a lovely place and the branch line compares with that to Looe, but until they get passenger trains back I'm unlikely to visit or spend money in local businesses. So don't waste your time worrying about 1970s nonsense like 'train service cuts', start setting in action a plan to get your trains back!

And what exactly does 'we are supposed to be ecological' mean?? That really makes me wonder how serious they are. (Ecology of course is a science that studies the links between different life forms - nothing to do with trains!!) Perhaps they meant 'environmentally sound', a different thing altogether.

Thursday 9 August 2012

yet another ...

Witton-le-Wear set to be reconnected to rail system

by Neil McKay, The Journal
Aug 8 2012

A locomotive train will pick up passengers in Witton-le-Wear

A train will pick up passengers in Witton-le-Wear

VILLAGERS are on track for a return to the golden age of rail for the first time since the month of the Coronation.

Passenger trains last stopped regularly at the station at Witton le Wear, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, in 1953.

Later this month passengers could again be boarding and alighting from newly installed platform – but only at weekends. The station was closed to passengers in June 1953 – the month when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey.

But Gerald Mudd, director for Weardale Railway, announced yesterday: “In an initiative involving the Weardale Railway, Witton le Wear Parish Council, the Witton Castle Country Park and Durham County Council a new station is being constructed.

“The railway has tested demand by utilising a temporary platform and now in this joint scheme is helping to build a permanent platform so that residents and visitors can board trains on a regular basis. If all goes well the platform could be operational in August.”

Parish council chairman Brewis Henderson sold lottery tickets door to door in a bid to help raise funds.

He said part of an old station platform at Bishop Auckland had been rebuilt at Witton-le-Wear at a cost of around £25,000.

“The parish council paid about £6,000 towards the platform, the county council through the local Area Action Partnership paid a similar amount, so did Witton Castle Country Park, and the railway contributed the remainder.

“It will be fantastic to have trains stopping at Witton-le-Wear after almost 60 years.”