South West Trains

South West Trains - Desiro fleet. The introduction of Desiro rolling stock built by Siemens was to replace the old slam-door trains which were coming to the end of their useful lives, and had been posing health and safety problems. The introduction was delayed because of the additional power needs of this type of stock: Network Rail spent £1 billion upgrading the power supply to take account of this. The new trains are generally proving popular with passengers, with on-board information systems and full a ...

See also:

South West Trains, South West Trains - SWT since privatisation, South West Trains - Train services, South West Trains - Main lines, South West Trains - Suburban services, South West Trains - Other services, South West Trains - Megatrain, South West Trains - Rolling stock notes, South West Trains - Desiro fleet, South West Trains - Juniper Fleet, South West Trains - Other notes, South West Trains - Rolling stock details, South West Trains - Current fleet, South West Trains - Past fleet, South West Trains - Preserved SWT trains, South West Trains - External link

Read more here: » South West Trains: Encyclopedia II - South West Trains - Rolling stock notes

Wessex Trains is the primary passenger rail operator in the South West of England. The company operates trains in the region bounded by Penzance, Cardiff, Gloucester, Worcester and Brighton. In addition to running trains, Wessex Trains is responsible for the operation of 125 passenger stations. Wessex Trains was formed on 14 October 2001 when the former Wales and West company was divided into 2 separate operators, Wessex Trains and Wales and Borders - operating services in Wales and Central England. They were both owned by the National Express Gro ...

Including:

• Wessex Trains - Routes
• Wessex Trains - Rolling Stock

Read more here: » Wessex Trains: Encyclopedia - Wessex Trains

Bracknell is a town of about 50,000 people (1991) in Bracknell Forest borough, in the English county of Berkshire. It lies about 6 miles (10 kilometres) to the east of Reading. It is about 9 miles south west of Windsor, with Windsor Great Park in between. It is between the M3 and M4 motorways, and the town has two train stations (Bracknell and Martins Heron) on the Reading to London Waterloo line, operated by South West Trains. The town has four ...

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Bournemouth is a seaside resort on the south coast of England. It is located about 107 miles southwest of London, at 50.72° N 1.88° W. The town is bordered by Poole in the west and Christchurch in the east (forming a conurbation), and overlooks Poole Bay. It is traditionally part of Hampshire but was ceded to Dorset in a 1974 local government reform. Evidence of this can be found at a roundabout at the end of the Wessex Way called "County Gates" where the gate marking the divide between Hampshire and Dorset once stood, and which now marks the border between Poole and Bournemouth. On April 1, 1997 Bo ...

Including:

• Bournemouth - The Town
• Bournemouth - Shopping
• Bournemouth - History
• Bournemouth - The area
• Bournemouth - Transport
• Bournemouth - Wildlife
• Bournemouth - Quotations

Read more here: » Bournemouth: Encyclopedia - Bournemouth

Bristol Temple Meads Keynsham Oldfield Park Bath Spa (for Great Western Main Line) Freshford Avoncliff Bradford on Avon Trowbridge (for Chippenham branch) Westbury (for Heart of Wessex Line) Dilton Marsh Warminster Salisbury (for West of England Main Line) Dean Dunbridge Romsey (for Romsey-Eastleigh Line) Southampton Central Chippenham-Trowbridge b ...

Read more here: » Wessex Main Line: Encyclopedia - Wessex Main Line

By the early 1980s it had become apparent that the Modernisation Plan DMUs were showing their age, and needed replacement or refurbishment. As several were insulated with blue asbestos, which BR was obliged to eradicate from its stock, the problem was compounded. BR designed two quite different trains as attempts to solve the problem, one being the Class 140 (Prototype Pacer) which was basically a Leyland bus body mounted on an improved wagon chassis- a low cost design, and the other being the two Class 210 Diesel Electric Multiple Unit, whi ...

See also:

British diesel and electric multiple units, British diesel and electric multiple units - Definition, British diesel and electric multiple units - Electric Multiple Units, British diesel and electric multiple units - 3rd rail Electric multiple units E.M.U.s, British diesel and electric multiple units - Overhead power line E.M.U.s, British diesel and electric multiple units - Diesel multiple units D.M.U.s, British diesel and electric multiple units - First Generation DMUs, British diesel and electric multiple units - Second Generation DMUs, British diesel and electric multiple units - DEMUs, British diesel and electric multiple units - Sources

Read more here: » British diesel and electric multiple units: Encyclopedia II - British diesel and electric multiple units - Second Generation DMUs

Stagecoach was born of deregulation in the British express coach market in the early 1980s, though its roots can be traced back to 1976 when Ann Gloag and her husband set up a small motor caravan and minibus hire business called Gloagtrotter. Ann's accountant brother Brian Souter joined the firm and expanded the business into bus hire. The Transport Act 1980, which freed express services of 35 miles and over from regulation by the Traffic Commissioner, brought new opportunities for the Perth-based company and services were launched fr ...

See also:

Stagecoach Group, Stagecoach Group - History, Stagecoach Group - UK Operating Companies, Stagecoach Group - North American operating companies, Stagecoach Group - Megabus & Magicbus, Stagecoach Group - Scottish Citylink Coaches Ltd

Read more here: » Stagecoach Group: Encyclopedia II - Stagecoach Group - History

Since privatisation, the Class 73 fleet has been reduced in size following the large-scale withdrawals of the EWS and Gatwick Express fleets. However, many smaller operators have acquired locomotives, so their continued use is assured for the foreseeable future. British Rail Class 73 - English Welsh and Scottish Railway EWS. EWS no longer operate Class 73 locomotives.

British Rail Class 73, British Rail Class 73 - Description, British Rail Class 73 - Current Operations, British Rail Class 73 - English Welsh and Scottish Railway EWS, British Rail Class 73 - Eurostar, British Rail Class 73 - FM Rail, British Rail Class 73 - Gatwick Express National Express Group, British Rail Class 73 - GB Railfreight, British Rail Class 73 - Merseyrail Electrics, British Rail Class 73 - Network Rail, British Rail Class 73 - South West Trains, British Rail Class 73 - Preservation, British Rail Class 73 - Fleet Summary, British Rail Class 73 - Fleet Details

Read more here: » British Rail Class 73: Encyclopedia II - British Rail Class 73 - Current Operations

Clapham Junction - Services. All services to Waterloo (except Eurostar services to the continent) and many services to Victoria stations pass through the junction; these include South West Trains, Gatwick Express and Southern services. Services from Clapham Junction also head north along the West London Line, through West Brompton and Kensington (Olympia), on to Willesden Junction and Watford Junction - services (to Willesden Junction) are operated by Silverlink. ...

See also:

Clapham Junction, Clapham Junction - The station, Clapham Junction - Services, Clapham Junction - Facilities, Clapham Junction - Technology, Clapham Junction - Busiest station claims, Clapham Junction - The junction, Clapham Junction - History, Clapham Junction - Clapham rail disaster

Read more here: » Clapham Junction: Encyclopedia II - Clapham Junction - The station

Siemens uses the name Desiro UK for new EMU and DMU trains used by various United Kingdom train operators. These trains have a completely different design to the above Light train variant. The trainsets have modern facilities, such as biological waste storage tanks, ergonomic seats and spoken announcements and are considered amongst some of the most successfull new trains to have been introduced since rail privatisation. All the electric units are owned by Angel Trains, whilst the diesel units are owned by HSBC Rail who lease ...

See also:

Desiro, Desiro - Light train, Desiro - Desiro UK, Desiro - Desiro in Romania, Desiro - Desiro in Greece

Read more here: » Desiro: Encyclopedia II - Desiro - Desiro UK

In 1086, the Domesday Book recorded that Egham consisted of 15 hides of land and was worth £30 10s 0d. The Magna Carta was sealed at nearby Runnymede in 1215, and is commemorated by a memorial, built in 1957 by the American Bar Association, at the foot of Cooper's Hill (a small rise adjacent to the Thames floodplain, immortalised in verse by such luminaries as John Denham ('Cooper's Hill') and Al ...

See also:

Egham, Egham - History, Egham - Business, Egham - Transport, Egham - Nearest places, Egham - Famous residents

Read more here: » Egham: Encyclopedia II - Egham - History

It can been seen from a map that the borough is not entirely urbanised. There are some large areas of open space within the borough boundaries. The main suburban developments are Hampton and Teddington in the south, Twickenham (including St Margarets and Whitton in the central area west of the River Thames and the Richmond - Kew -Mortlake - Barnes corridor across the loop of the river. It is the only London boro ...

See also:

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Settlement, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - List of districts, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Attractions parks and open spaces, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - History, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Transport, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - List of stations, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Schools

Read more here: » London Borough of Richmond upon Thames: Encyclopedia II - London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - Settlement

Reading station opened on the 30 March 1840 as the temporary western terminus of the original line of the Great Western Railway. At a stroke the time taken to travel from London to Reading was reduced to one hour and five minutes, less than a quarter of the time taken by the fastest stagecoach. The line was extended to its intended terminus at Bristol in 1841. As constructed, Reading station was a typical Brunel designed single-sided intermediate station, with separate up and down platforms situated to the south of the through tracks and arranged so that all up trains calling at ...

See also:

Reading railway station, Reading railway station - Railway services, Reading railway station - History, Reading railway station - Future developments, Reading railway station - Sources

Read more here: » Reading railway station: Encyclopedia II - Reading railway station - History

Initially, most of the routes used buses designed for short local public transport journeys and which had no toilet or luggage space, and each passenger is only allowed one bag. Toilets have been added to the fleet, enabling Megabus to eliminate toilet stops. These double decker buses are 94-seat tri-axle Leyland Olympian built for service with Hong Kong Citybus in 1990/1991. Stagecoach purchased Citybus in March 1999 but sold the company in 2003 after the group hit financial difficulties, the batch of Olympians used for Megabus remained in ...

See also:

Megabus, Megabus - Fleet, Megabus - Routes

Read more here: » Megabus: Encyclopedia II - Megabus - Fleet

The earliest railway to reach Portsmouth - in reality Gosport on the opposite side of Portsmouth Harbour - was via a London and South Western Railway (LSWR) branch via Fareham to Eastleigh and thence via Winchester to London. The first section of the direct route was opened to Guildford as the Guildford Junction Railway on 5 May 1845; the line was extended to Godalming on 15 October 1849. The line was taken over by the L&SWR who opened its "Portsmouth direct" line on 28 December 1858, with leasehold of the station at Portsm ...

See also:

Portsmouth Direct Line, Portsmouth Direct Line - History, Portsmouth Direct Line - The route, Portsmouth Direct Line - Trivia

Read more here: » Portsmouth Direct Line: Encyclopedia II - Portsmouth Direct Line - History

Great feats of engineering were performed in its creation. Examples from the Victorian era are the building of the Forth Bridge, 1890, or the replacement of 177 miles (285 km) of broad gauge rail with standard gauge in a single weekend from May 21, 1892. Such feats are not things of the past; recent and current examples are the building of the Channel tunnel for the link to the Continental railway systems, and the Channel Tunnel Rail Link from London to the tunnel. The system was originally built as a patchwork of local rail links ope ...

See also:

Rail transport in Great Britain, Rail transport in Great Britain - Historical overview, Rail transport in Great Britain - Geography & infrastructure, Rail transport in Great Britain - Passenger services, Rail transport in Great Britain - Freight services, Rail transport in Great Britain - Leasing services, Rail transport in Great Britain - Leasing Companies, Rail transport in Great Britain - Spot-Hire Companies, Rail transport in Great Britain - Statutory framework, Rail transport in Great Britain - Local metro systems, Rail transport in Great Britain - UK railway stations, Rail transport in Great Britain - Railway Industry, Rail transport in Great Britain - Statutory authorities, Rail transport in Great Britain - Network rail & signalling operations, Rail transport in Great Britain - Other national entities, Rail transport in Great Britain - Regional entities, Rail transport in Great Britain - Train franchises and operating company, Rail transport in Great Britain - Freight railway companies, Rail transport in Great Britain - Open access operators and other non-franchised passenger operators, Rail transport in Great Britain - Early railway companies 1820s–1840s, Rail transport in Great Britain - Grouping 1923–1947, Rail transport in Great Britain - Heritage and private railways

Read more here: » Rail transport in Great Britain: Encyclopedia II - Rail transport in Great Britain - Historical overview

The town is an important venue for major conferences and the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), which stands on the cliff-tops near the middle of the town overlooking the sea and the pier, is the town's main venue for large conferences including in 2003 the Labour Party annual conference. Bournemouth (and Poole, the town immediately to the West) have several chines (e.g. Branksome Chine, Alum Chine), valleys formed by the action of water, that lead down to the beaches and fo ...

See also:

Bournemouth, Bournemouth - The Town, Bournemouth - Shopping, Bournemouth - History, Bournemouth - The area, Bournemouth - Transport, Bournemouth - Wildlife, Bournemouth - Quotations

Read more here: » Bournemouth: Encyclopedia II - Bournemouth - The Town

The Southern Railway was still comparatively profit-making despite World War II, thanks to its extensive third rail DC electrification and the intensive service patterns this allowed for. However, large-scale investment was required in the infrastructure of all of the "Big 4" companies, including the Southern. The Transport Act 1947 provided for the nationalisation of all heavy rail systems in the UK to allow for this investment and, in theory, to improve the rights of railway workers. The railway companies were amalgamated into Briti ...

See also:

Southern Region of British Railways, Southern Region of British Railways - History, Southern Region of British Railways - The region, Southern Region of British Railways - Central London, Southern Region of British Railways - Outside London, Southern Region of British Railways - Line and station closures, Southern Region of British Railways - Channel Tunnel planning, Southern Region of British Railways - Competition with London Underground, Southern Region of British Railways - Privatisation, Southern Region of British Railways - Trains and rollingstock, Southern Region of British Railways - Major accidents

Read more here: » Southern Region of British Railways: Encyclopedia II - Southern Region of British Railways - History

British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Anglia Railways / 'One' Railway. Anglia Railways ordered two batches of Turbostars. The first batch of eight 3-car Class 170/2 units were built for London Liverpool Street to Ipswich, Norwich, Lowestoft and Bury St. Edmunds services. These supplemented the existing Class 86 locomotive-hauled trains from London to Norwich. Four of these units were later hired to Hull Trains from 2002-2004, before they acquired their own Turbostars. Other units, including the spot-hire set no. 170399, were used ...

See also:

British Rail Classes 170 and 171, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Description, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Current Operations, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Anglia Railways / 'One' Railway, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Central Trains, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - First ScotRail, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Hull Trains, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Midland Mainline, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - South Central / Southern, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - South West Trains, British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Fleet Details

Read more here: » British Rail Classes 170 and 171: Encyclopedia II - British Rail Classes 170 and 171 - Current Operations

The L&SWR was originally promoted in 1831 as the Southampton, London and Branch Railway and Dock Company: its original plans envisaged the line through Basingstoke (where a branch was to have run to Bristol) and Winchester to Southampton). Parliament rejected the scheme and it was re-promoted as the London and Southampton Railway: it was authorised by Act of Parliament in 1834. It was the first of the three trunk routes running south of London. During its early years there were many eventful occurrences: conflict with ...

See also:

London and South Western Railway, London and South Western Railway - History, London and South Western Railway - Openings, London and South Western Railway - Waterloo station, London and South Western Railway - Southampton, London and South Western Railway - Main Line, London and South Western Railway - Other principal lines, London and South Western Railway - Reading and Portsmouth lines, London and South Western Railway - Route to the south-west, London and South Western Railway - Line details, London and South Western Railway - Locomotives & rolling stock, London and South Western Railway - Other details, London and South Western Railway - Electrification, London and South Western Railway - Trivia

Read more here: » London and South Western Railway: Encyclopedia II - London and South Western Railway - History