A new A4 size 'e-book' published by The Railway Centre.Com Ltd - 'The Dawlish Sea Wall 2007' is now available. This is the first high-quality e-book published on UK railways, and contains more than 220 colour illustration, the book traces the workings over the ever popular Dawlish Sea Wall in 2007. The e-book is supplied on a Compact Disk in PDF format, it is produced to print standard, and can be viewed or printed by any computer with PDF software.

The Dawlish Sea Wall 2007
e-book costs just £7.99 including post and packing and is available from - The Railway Centre.Com Ltd, PO Box 45, Dawlish, Devon. EX7 9XY.

Above: A very rare working took place on the main line on 9 May 2008, when East Lancs Railway-based Class 40 No. 40145 powered a Network Rail RHTT set formed of four vehicles from York Works to Heyward. The train is seen passing Huddersfield.  
Mark Bearton

6 May 2008 - Dawlish News and 2008 Special Trains updated - Dawlish Sea Wall
4 May 2008 - Items for Sale postcards added- Sale
2 May 2008 - Class 43 HST powercar MTU refurbishment and re-engineering details and pictures. MTU powercars
20 March 2008 - Update to Names Encyclopedia
24 March 2008 - Items for Sale - New items added - Videos- Sale

The Government has taken a substantial step forward in providing 106 new carriages for the West Coast Main Line.

Agreement has been reached with Alstom so that they can begin the production process of new high speed tilting Pendolino trains and carriages which will deliver over 7,420 additional seats on this busy rail route.

This is in addition to the 45% increase in long distance services on the line due in December 2008.

The agreement with Alstom provides for 106 carriages which will create four new eleven-car trains and will also lengthen 31 of the existing trains from 9 to 11-cars. These will be in full service by December 2012. There is also an option to procure a further 42 carriages by early 2013 to meet rising passenger demand for the lengthening of the remaining 21 nine car trains from nine to eleven cars. This option can be exercised by 2010 and would provide further additional capacity, should demand from the new services in December stimulate still further demand. This further train lengthening would be completed by early 2013..

Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said: "Our priority for the railways is increasing capacity and this will provide much needed extra seats on the busiest services from London to Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow. In addition, the £8.8bn upgrade of the West Coast Mainline will cut journey times and deliver more frequent services."

The shortlist of bidders for the contract for Service Provider for the Pendolino Lengthening Project is also being announced by the Department for Transport (DfT).

The following bidders have been shortlisted for Pendolino Lengthening Service Provider and will receive an Invitation to Tender shortly:

* Govia Transportation Projects Limited. Govia Limited's parents are the Go-Ahead Group plc and Keolis SA

* Virgin Rail Projects Limited. Owned by a single incorporated entity - Virgin Rail Group Holdings Limited. Virgin Rail Group Holdings Limited is owned 51% by Virgin Holdings Limited and 49% by Stagecoach Rail Holdings Limited (whose ultimate parent is Stagecoach plc).

The Service Provider will support the Department throughout the design finalisation, manufacture, delivery, testing and commissioning of new 'Pendolino' rolling stock through to the end of the current West Coast franchise (31 March 2012).