Crossword

Calling all wordsmiths…

WELCOME to the RAIL Crossword. Sadly, due to the Coronavirus outbreak, we are currently unable to offer crossword prizes for the foreseeable future, but we will endeavour to continue to keep producing crosswords for every issue, and invite all our solvers to just play along for fun. Keep solving, stay with us and stay safe.

Clues Across

1 See 22 Across

8 Perhaps hires Chief Operating Officer? Take more care! (8)

9 East Anglia services may have been taken over by South West Trains, with blood… and tears… (5)

10 Might fans of Guy Ritchie think Northern station should be accompanied by two smoking barrels? (7)

11 Created by a blower, to encourage the fire in a stationary steam locomotive (7)

13 Preserved Class 52 locomotive based at the East Lancashire Railway (7, 6)

18 The most vigorous? He is not, but is still the most pretentious (7)

19 Kojak joins Losing My Religion band, in principle! (7)

20 Leading engine on a double-headed locomotive service (5)

21 Introduced for part-time workers in London, to cut travel costs (4, 4)

22 and 1 Across A narrow escape, but not necessarily for some men in ‘Movember’ (5, 5)

Clues Down

2 Female bird accepts prize at Transport for Wales station (8)

3 Railway structure - a particularly striking example can be seen at Ribblehead (7)

4 MEP health scan reveals fault, so Great Western Railway train could take him here to recover (10, 3)

5 Feeling very warm when on short branch line en route to Tottenham? (7)

6 Used for storing rail-transported biomass at Drax Power Station (5)

7 You wouldn’t want to be on a train if this isn’t working! (5)

12 Crossover between two parallel tracks in both directions (8)

14 CME bear-hug? (7)

15 LNER… EMR… SWR? Dealt with one at a time, the answer is right in front of you (7)

16 Token given to driver, authorising entry into single-line section (5)

17 A little bit fruity on the approach to Huddersfield station? (5)