Tuesday 20 Jul 2004
GETTING CONNECTED FOR LOCOMOTION
- Region & Route:
Work is well underway on a new rail connection that will link Locomotion: The National Railway Museum at Shildon to the national rail network.
Graham Botham, Acting Route Director, Network Rail said: “We are delighted with the progress of the Shildon connection. This project is a testament of team working with the National Railway Museum (NRM) and our contractors, Jarvis. All those involved have contributed through either reduced rates or financial contributions. The NRM even released a signal motor from their collection! We are committed to rebuilding Britain’s railways, however, in doing so we also recognise the importance of its heritage, so we are pleased to work closely with the National Railway Museum in delivering this connection”.
Work on the site began in May. The project includes:
· Removal of the existing siding connection and associated signalling alterations
· Installation of two new turnouts
· Installation of two new mechanical signals and shunt signals, and a refurbished ground frame
· Alterations to the mechanical interlocking in Shildon signal box
· Installation of mechanical and electrical points / signal operating routes and undertrack crossings
· Installation of signal post and ground frame telephones
· Installation of 225m of plain line track
- more -
Shildon – 2
Last weekend (17/18/19 July) saw the first milestone achieved with the installation of the switch and crossings during a 33 hour closure of the line between Darlington and Bishop Auckland. The signalling will be commissioned on 2 August with the connection completed in time for the opening of Locomotion in September.
Andrew Scott, Head of the NRM, said: “Locomotion has been a partnership development from the very beginning and we have been delighted to be working closely with Network Rail on this crucial element of the project. The link from Locomotion to the Bishop Auckland branch will play a huge part in ensuring that the development stimulates the regeneration of the area. It puts Shildon firmly on the map as a regional centre for railway heritage and tourism.”
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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