A 60 Year Career in Rail
Thomas Cox
North West and Wales Area Council
CIRO North West & Wales Area members were treated to an excellent presentation hosted by Jan Glasscock FCIRO , which covered his almost 60 years employment in the industry .
Jan spoke about all the major events and changes within the railway industry from Nationalisation in 1948 , through to the present day . The topics included the 1955 Modernisation Plan , the Beeching Cuts , Electrification , and Privatisation . He illustrated how post-Second World War railway history had brought the industry to where it stood today ahead of the present Government ’ s introduction of Great British Railways and the renationalisation of the railway . He set the historical events and their ramifications against his own distinguished career , which continues today in a consultancy role .
He proceeded to deliver an entertaining and thoughtprovoking presentation , which was enjoyed by all those present . Delivered in ‘ conversational ’ style , his talk allowed questions to be asked throughout , and this enabled his audience to genuinely participate in a very informative discussion . On behalf of the CIRO North West Wales Area Council , and those members who attended , we would like to thank Jan for providing such an excellent event .
The Cryogenic Cleaning Approach
Olivia Mouter
North East Area Council
Members of the North East Area Council enjoyed a joint presentation from Professor Roger Lewis from the University of Sheffield and Rob Cummings , Seasonal Performance Improvement Manager from Northern , regarding their innovative Cryogenic Cleaning Approach , and how the rail industry can use this to better enhance performance across the route . Reducing line closures and cleaning schedules as there are possibilities for attaching Cryogenic Cleaners to passenger services . The presentation started off with an overview of current cleaning approaches to tackle low adhesion and their downfalls ( i . e ., Sand Blasting and residue ) and how Cryogenic Cleaning , or commonly known as ‘ Dry Ice ’, can combat these downfalls . Roger Lewis took the council members through an explanation of how Cryogenic Cleaning works and the background of its research . Below you can see a simple explanation of the three-pronged Cryogenic Cleaning and some of its fantastic benefits . Roger and Rob spoke about the development process , from how it started as a small-scale twin disc and developed into the Northern Class 155 trial on passenger services , and how the speed has developed from 20mph to 60mph when working . The trial was conducted in March 2021 on a freight branch using Class 155 ’ s , which allowed development of the prototype for light continuous cleaning . Guests learned the various testing and monitoring methods and how these are showing very promising figures and results from the Cryogenic Cleaning . The session ended with a lively Q & A from guests for both hosts . The CIRO North East Area Council would like to thank Roger and Rob for an engaging and informative session .
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Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Family Fun Day
Paul Snowden
North East Area Council
When we started to plan our first “ in person ” event after restrictions ended , we provisionally booked 20 places on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Family Fun Day . However , requests for places came pouring in , and 54 of us enjoyed our day out on 20th November .
We were served tea and coffee as we set off into the heart of Brontë country . The line was also the location for the filming of the iconic ‘ Railway Children ’ film and has been beautifully restored and maintained by Midland railway stations .
We returned on the train to Keighley , where a tasty lunch of sandwiches and delicious home baked cakes was loaded on to our reserved coaches for us to enjoy as we headed back towards Oxenhope for the second time .
Members were then free to enjoy the array of workshops and activities put on by the railway . These included Oxenhope Carriage & Wagon Workshops , where members got the chance to experience what is involved in restoring a carriage , Haworth Loco Workshops , where the railway ’ s large fleet of locomotives is lovingly maintained , Ingrow Loco ( Bahamas Locomotives Society ) and Museum of Rail Travel ( Vintage Carriages Trust ) and Keighley signal box , which is part of a long-term project to be brought back into use as part of a re-signalling plan for Keighley station .
The day was very interesting with a good mix of things to do for both adults and children . We had some excellent guides from the railway , which , along with the good weather , made for a fantastic day enjoyed by all .
Delivering a Brand-New Train Service
Phil Thickett
North East Area Council
The North East area council welcomed Amanda Clarke , Safety and Operations Project Manager for London North East Railway ( LNER ), to give a talk on the introduction of the new Middlesbrough Service . Amanda explained the new service had been in the planning process for a while with support from LNER , with funding from various stakeholders . She started the service introduction project in early 2021 with a progress plan showing stages of work which needed to be done . The talk focussed on the meticulous planning that went into the formation of the new train service . With several departments and their specialties needing consideration , the project was a testament to the quality of communication and teamwork shown . The team working on the new service had many challenges to overcome ;
could the train drive the route , would it fit platforms , would there be timetable clashes , how many staff would need to be trained about the new route , and would there be any fleet database complications , to name a few . The service was successfully launched on 13th December 2021 . It commenced on time and with no problems , which was a great feeling for Amanda and the team – a job well done . Following her talk , Amanda led an informative question and answer session with open , decisive answers to questions asked by members . The North East Area Council was pleased to hold such an informative and useful event for its members and would like to thank Amanda for giving her time to present the event .
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Areas
Area Council Events Roundup
Chartered Institution of Railway Operators
For detailed information on upcoming area events visit : www . ciro . org / whats-on
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Since the last Bulletin , our webinar events have covered a great range of topics with a plethora of presenters and industry experts . We have hosted talks ranging from heritage railways to launching brand new train services , from rail safety to challenges posed by large scale events , and many more . The webinars have all been followed by some interesting and informative question and answer sessions with attendees and the presenters .
We have received some wonderful feedback from members who have attended our live events . We ’ ve featured some of the comments below .
“ Very informative talk and useful to record for CPD and POD !”
Yvonne Kerry
“ These events are really useful as you can fit them around your day .”
Mark Copeland
“ One of my best evenings with CIRO .”
Frank Margrave
For those members who would like to watch our past events , most of our webinars are recorded and are available to watch in your own time via CIRO TV at ciro . org / resources / ciro-tv . If you are interested in attending in the future , we host regular events , and these will be advertised by email and our social media accounts . Or you can always check our events page on www . ciro . org / whats-on / where you ’ ll see a complete list of our upcoming events . Finally , if you have any suggestions about interesting topics you would like to see talked about , then please contact us at cpd @ railwayoperators . co . uk , we ’ d love to hear your suggestions .
CIRO is grateful to all the panellists who have shared their personal time with us to host these webinars and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all involved .
Further information
Find out more about whats ’ happening or learn more about your area , please visit www . ciro . org / area-councils / www . ciro . org
The Bulletin | Issue 49 | May 2022