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A brief report that appeared in the October 1967 Railway Magazine (p.599) states that the banking engine was returning light to Todmorden.

The class '40' pushed the Stanier '8F' for a distance of about half-a-mile, suggesting that the driver of the 2-8-0 (which was on banking duties) may have attempted to halt the freight train with its own weight and braking power (?) Press reports are not clear on this point.

It all seems a bit odd to me. Press reports made no mention of a guard or second man but, as pointed out above, the application of the guard's hand brake would have made little difference on a downward gradient. One assumes that the driver must have fallen asleep at the controls.

I have been reading about an accident that occurred at Cornholme, on the Copy Pit line, on the night of 15 August 1967, when a freight train headed by class '40' No.D398 ran into a class '8F' 2-8-0 after the driver of the diesel locomotive, who had recently consumed 'the equivalent of five and...

The point that I was trying to make in the "other" thread was that this relatively important project does not seem to have been reported in The Railway Magazine, whereas earlier schemes, such as the Bournemouth main line, were reported in great detail. This means that those of us who may have a...

Many thanks to those whi have responded. I have now managed to find a (very brief) reference on page 44 of the December 1995 Railway Magazine although, oddly, it suggests that the opening ceremony took place on 29 September, rather than 30 September.

I have asked this question in another thread and received no adequate answers, but does anyone know the date or dates upon which the Leeds NW electrification scheme was completed throughout to Skipton? And has there been any progress in the re-opening of Apperley Bridge station? (it is supposed...

That may be part of the problem - there may also have been a bias against reporting northern lines in magazines such as Railway World and the Railway Magazine. Having said that, was there ever a formal opening day for the Leeds North Western Electrification scheme?

I was thinking the other day about how standards seem to have declined in relation to railway publishing and, in particular, in terms of railway magazine articles. For example in the case of railway electrification projects in the 1960s, The Railway Magazine would always provide very detailed...

This reminds me of something I read about southern Ireland during the 1920s, when it was announced that Railwaymen in uniform would be excused curfew, whereas those in civilian clothes risked being shot, beaten or arrested by the Black & Tans.

When I say that a station may have two opening dates, I am warning that the RCHS publication does not always make it clear which date they are quoting. For example, Witney is said to have opened on 14 November 1861, whereas local newspapers make it quite clear that the first trains were run on...

You should look at the RCHS publication (by M.E.Quick), bearing in mind that it does not cover the whole of the UK, and that there may be two opening dates (ie public and ceremonial).

Do the railways pay for their electricity on a "flat rate" system, or is it possible to calculate the amount of electricity that is being consumed? In the early days of electrification, of course, the railway companies produced their own electricity - which must have been much simpler!

Do you mean opening dates or opening times. The RCTS have published a chronology of opening dates which covers most of the UK, and is more or less correct (although there is some confusion between public opening dates and ceremonial openings).

I was really asking if anyone has any figures relating to the proportion of diesel-worked services on the WCML. I don't like speculation, but as no figures have yet materialised I would suggest that at least 50 per cent of the train services between Preston and Carlisle are diesel worked. And as...

I was not aware that Reading was on the West Coast Main Line. A Reading to Manchester service would clearly join the West Coast system at Birmingham and then run on the electrified former L&NWR/NSR main line to its destination.

Actual figures seem hard to come by, but random observation at locations on the northern section of the WCML such as Oubeck or Hest Bank would suggest that about 75 per cent of the trains are diesel-worked - not just the freight and cross-country workings, but also the local trains to...

But surely most of the freight services are diesel-hauled, together with the various long-distance cross-country services?

The widespread use of diesel locomotives on electrified main lines has attracted much adverse criticism from environmentalists - the practice having seemingly become more prevalent since the privatisation and fragmentation of BR. It is presumably cheaper for privatised train operators to employ...

Thank you for your very prompt reply!