FROM THE RAILWAY MAGAZINE ARCHIVES
YEARS AGO
DECEMBER 1921 Line washed away
DURING the recent exceptional high tide, a part of the Clacton-on-Sea branch of the Great Eastern Railway, between Hythe and Wivenhoe, was washed away. This occurred about midday and, until a temporary single line could be completed at about 9pm on the same day, communication had to be maintained by road conveyances. At several places in the London district, other lines were also affected. At Stratford low level station, the platforms were at one time under water.
Island line visitor bid
A DETERMINED attempt is to be made to attract more visitors to the Isle of Wight during the winter months. Strange as it is, the equable climate of the island in winter is apparently not even suspected by some of the leisured classes. It is understood that most of the principal hotels on the island are remaining open during the winter and are offering specially reduced terms to visitors.
YEARS AGO
DECEMBER 1971 Stoke Gifford becomes Bristol Parkway
A NEW station being built at Stoke Gifford, adjacent to the Almondsbury Intersection of the M4 and M5 motorways north of Bristol, will be named Bristol Parkway. A contract worth £50,000 has been awarded to Stone & Co. (Bristol) Ltd for construction of the station building, car park and approach roads. Station platforms and footbridges are already under construction, and almost complete.
Cambrian Sunday trains again
SUNDAY trains are again planned to operate over the former Cambrian Railways between Shrewsbury and Aberystwyth and (subject to the line still being open) Dovey Junction and Barmouth in 1972. In addition to the through train from Birmingham to Aberystwyth, a through service is also planned between Birmingham and Barmouth.
Waterloo indicators to go
TRAIN departure and arrival indicators at Waterloo station, London, are to be replaced in about two years’ time by electronic indicators similar to those at Victoria.
YEARS AGO
DECEMBER 2001
RAIILWAY privatisation was thrown back into the melting pot on October 7 when the Government effectively renationalised the network by putting Railtrack plc into administration.
The act, which stunned the nation and threw the industry into upheaval, was committed in conditions of great
The death of Railtrack
secrecy by Transport Secretary Stephen Byers and brings to an ignominious end the most controversial of the Conservatives’ Privatisation schemes.
It was last winter’s Hatfield accident and the astronomical cost of replacing cracked or suspect rails – allied with the resultant huge compensation penalties to train operators – that partly precipitated the death of Railtrack. The company had as good as bankrupted itself in the process, and had been forced to go cap-in-hand yet again for Government handouts.
WCML upgrade in jeopardy
WITH Railtrack in administration, concern is mounting that plans to upgrade parts of the West Coast Main Line for 140mph operation may have to be scaled back.
Such a move would be a bitter blow to Virgin, which is ready to introduce its tilting ‘Pendolino’ trains from next
May. Industry sources suggest there is a desire to slash the bill for the upgrade by £1.5bn, meaning that trains might not be able to run at full speed.
Island line upgrades?
THE SRA has commissioned consultants to review the options for the Island Line franchise when the agreement with Stagecoach expires in September 2003.
Eleven scenarios ranging from minimal renewals (with the existing stock working until 2014), to a lightrail system extended to Shanklin town centre have been assessed, the latter being the most expensive.