News in brief...
New film documents Victoria Line construction
A new volume has been added to the British Film Institute’s best-selling series of transport and travel films, The British Transport Films Collection. Marking London Underground’s 150th anniversary, Volume Eleven, Experiment Under London, contains six films documenting the construction of the Victoria Line, which were produced by the BTF Film Unit for London Transport. Made between 1961 and 1969, the films show in meticulous detail one of the most complex civil engineering projects that London had ever seen.
www.bfi.org.uk
Electrifying news for Lake District Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has unveiled plans to electrify the Windermere branch line in the heart of the Lake District. The government is keen for the 10 miles of track between Oxenholme station on the West Coast Main Line, and Windermere station to be converted to allow electric trains to run on the route. Once the proposed £16 million scheme is agreed, electric trains could link Kendal, Burneside and Staveley directly to Manchester by 2016. McLoughlin said: ‘This is a key line to one of the most important tourist areas in the UK and I believe the rail industry has a role in making sure more people can travel comfortably to enjoy the beautiful lakes.’
To HAVS or to have not Hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) could be costing Britain as much as £4.92 billion according to vibration management specialists Reactec, with around 300,000 employees estimated to have advanced symptoms of this debilitating condition. Reactec’s Stewart McNaughton said: ‘There are around one million users of hand-held or hand-guided power tools who are at increased risk of the disease because they are exposed to HAV above the action level set by the Health & Safety Executive. Given that there are clear, simple and cost-effective ways of monitoring exposure levels, this is a totally unnecessary and preventable disease.’
Page 12 September 2013
passenger journey numbers is creating a virtuous circle by generating record levels of revenue to pay for better services in turn encouraging greater rail use.’ Ed Thomas, director, KPMG Transport Advisory, which analysed and collated data for the report said: ‘The franchising model can bring beneficial effects for both taxpayers and customers. Each bid competition brings a fresh focus on the needs of customers and other stakeholders. UK rail franchises attract interest from the leading transport players from around the world. This helps to drive product innovation and sharing of best practice.’ For more on the report see page 25
Drax has unveiled the UK’s first purpose-built biomass rail freight wagon at the National Railway Museum in York.
Developed by designers at Lloyd’s Register Rail and manufactured by WH Davis, it is the largest ever produced and pushes the boundaries of rail engineering. The wagon will transport sustainable biomass from the Ports of Tyne, Hull and Immingham to Drax power station, near Selby for use in generating low carbon, cost- effective, and reliable renewable electricity. At 18.9m long with top doors stretching 18.2m and bottom doors of 3.7m, the supersize wagon has a capacity of 116 cubic metres allowing a biomass load weighing 71.6 tonnes. Its volume is almost 30 per cent bigger than any freight wagon currently used in the UK.
Speaking at the unveiling, Peter Emery, Drax’s production director said: ‘Our transformation to become one of Europe’s largest renewable generators through the use of sustainable biomass means we need new, bigger and better rail wagons. We need to keep the biomass dry, move more of it and speed up the process of delivery. The finished product is an industry-leading design and fulfils all the criteria we set. We may be launching it in a museum but this wagon is no museum piece and will not be surpassed for many years to come.’ Work on two prototypes began in January 2013 and presented the design engineers with a number of challenges in achieving the increased wagon capacity within the limits of the Network Rail loading gauge. The wagon is technically advanced too, with unique door designs and a patented product flow control system to manage the biomass during discharge. Richard Gibney, head of Rolling Stock Design at Lloyd’s Register Rail said: ‘This is the sort of project that designers relish.’ WH Davis met the design specification by working to a measurement
tolerance of 5mm, the highest possible and half that normally associated with wagon manufacturing. Drax has ordered 200 of the wagons as part of a £700 million investment programme at the station. A film about the wagon’s development and manufacture can be viewed at www.drax. com/biomass/cofiring_ plans/biomass_wagons/
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