Author Archives: Iain

The worst railway disaster in Britain happened 100 years ago – at 0649 on 22 May 1915.   The Scottish Government has included the disaster in its Official Commemoration Programme for 2015. Quintinshill was the name of a signal box midway … Continue reading →

What do you do with a multiple unit that is at least “middle aged” and whose propulsion unit has become outmoded?     Many operators withdraw such units especially if the body structure is made of steel that is starting to show … Continue reading →

Construction of the new tramway across the centre of Birmingham to link Snow Hill Station with New Street Station has been making steady if at times seemingly very slow progress.   The new tramway will leave its present right of way … Continue reading →

Roger Benton, the photograph archivist to the National Tramway Museum at Crich for over 40 years, died on 24 January 2015 following a motor vehicle accident.     Roger amassed a wonderful archive of still and movie film photographs showing the full … Continue reading →

Manchester’s Metrolink tram network keeps growing and the latest extension is the 9.25 mile long branch that twists and turns across the city’s southern suburb of Wythenshawe before reaching the Airport.     For the time being the route is served by … Continue reading →

Jim Scribbins, long-term employee and historian of the Chicago, Milwaukee and Pacific Railroad, died on 27 November 2014 at the age of 86 years.    Jim joined the Milwaukee Road at the age of twenty and for much of his career … Continue reading →

This article was written by the Society’s main contact in Philadelphia and was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 10 September 2014. Every day PATCO carries about 38,000 passengers, 90% of whom go to or from Center City.  This is … Continue reading →

During autumn, leaves lying on the rails become squashed to a slippery pulp that causes the train wheels to slip and results in trains running behind schedule.    Simply slowing down the trains means that if the normal service frequency is … Continue reading →

London Midland are strengthening five extremely overcrowded peak hour trains from 6 October 2014 by putting into service three of their new Siemens Desiro class 350/3 emus.    Ten of these 110 mph units have been ordered from Siemens and the … Continue reading →

The London Underground’s Northern Line is being transformed through a series of major upgrades that will take at least a decade to complete.    Eventually the complex line referred to as “the misery line” will have become two completely separate lines … Continue reading →