The Anonymous Widower

Riveting Television

I’ve just watched an episode of Fred Dibnah’s Made In Britain, which was entitled Mechanics and Riveters.

It was fascinating stuff, but how do you decarbonise an industry like the making of rivets without using hydrogen?

June 22, 2023 Posted by | Hydrogen, Transport/Travel, World | , , , , | Leave a comment

Heritage Steam And Diesel Locomotives To Run Under Digital Signalling

This page on the Network Rail web site is entitled East Coast Digital Programme Selects Atkins And Thales As Key Partners For Heritage Rail Vehicles Pathfinder Project.

To illustrate the sort of rail vehicles they mean, the page is headed with this picture of a Stanier Black 5 locomotive, which is by courtesy of West Coast Railways.

These are the first four paragraphs of the page.

Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, and Thales have been appointed by Network Rail to deliver an industry-first pathfinder project for Heritage Rail Projects as part of the East Coast Digital Programme.

The pathfinder will carry out design and trial fitment of the technology to determine if it is a viable technical and commercial option for heritage vehicles.

The option of retro-fitting the technology would enable heritage steam and diesel vehicles to continue operating on mainline infrastructure in radio-based train control. In a world first, the pathfinder project will see European Train Control System (ETCS) in-cab signalling equipment, supplied and installed by Thales, trial fitted on Tornado and designed for a Black 5 steam locomotive, as well as a Class 55 Deltic diesel locomotive which was built over 40 years ago.

These vehicles have been selected because they are best placed to support the project. Tornado is a large modern build with established designs and power, and the Black 5 and Deltic are representative of other vehicle types.

If this project is successful, we will continue to see heritage steam and diesel locomotives on the UK rail network.

October 15, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bio-Coal Trials Show Promise

The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.

These were the first two paragraphs.

Norfolk’s Bure Valley Railway (BVR) has held an extensive trial of bio-coal as the heritage rail sector looks towards a carbon-free future.

The event, which took place in June, was the result of cooperation between members of the Advanced Steam Traction Trust (ASTT), Bure and the Heritage Railway Association.

It probably makes sense to experiment with steam locomotives and fuels that create less carbon dioxide emissions.

September 29, 2021 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 2 Comments

Have Bombardier And Transport for London Pressed The Publicity Button On The Gospel Oak To Barking Line?

This morning, both the National Rail and Transport for London Journey Planners are still showing a Saturday March the 23rd service of four trains per hour (tph) on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line.

To run a four tph service will need six trains, which is a bit difficult with only three four-car Class 378 trains.

There are only three possibilities.

  1. Both timetables are wrong. But they have been like that all week and surely a mistake would have been rectified.
  2. They have shortened three more Class 378 trains and these will be joining the party. But it is known that other lines are under pressure because of the smaller fleet, so this is unlikely.
  3. Three Class 710 trains will come to the aid of the party.

Possibility three is the only practical one.

There is also another event on Saturday. A steam train will be passing along the route, with these tiomings.

  • Barking – 8:42
  • Leyton Midland Road – 8:51
  • South |Tottenham – 9:02
  • Upper Holloway – 9:11
  • Gospel Oak – 9:15

The steam train will also be coming back later in the day.

Is it a coincidence that it appears the full four tph electric service on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line starts on the day that a steam train uses the route?

Think of all those publicity pictures!

Or has it been organised to see if the steam trains interfere with the sophisticated computing on the Class 710 trains?

 

March 21, 2019 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , | Leave a comment

Steaming Along The Overground

According to this article on Ian Visits, the North London Line will have an unusual visitor on Saturday, December the 2nd.

A passenger steam train will be passing through on its way from Southend to Alton.

Useful timing are.

  • 09:58 – Barking
  • 10:03 – Woodgrange Park
  • 10:08 – Forest Gate
  • 10:14 – Stratford
  • 10:26 – Canonbury
  • 10:31 – Camden Road
  • 10:48 – South Hampstead
  • 10:54 – Kensal Green
  • 11:07 – Acton Central

On December 2nd, 2012, I posted Tornado At Canonbury Station.

 

November 27, 2017 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , | Leave a comment