July 2026 – RailwayWorld.net

Significant signalling changes for the York-Scarborough Line

185132 passes signal BH14 and Barton Hill Signal Box on 28 July with 1P26 from Scarborough (13.53) to Manchester Victoria

Along with the loss of gate boxes and signalling at Marston Moor and Hessay on the Harrogate Line, described in my June 2026 feature, another North-East route where significant signalling changes are planned is the 42-mile long York-Scarborough Line, where mechanical signalling currently survives at four of the seven signal and gate boxes on this route.

Changes due to take place early in 2027 will see abolition of a small gate box at Howsham, with the removal of semaphores here and at nearby Barton Hill Signal Box, with the latter box being retained, and a signalling panel and crossing barriers installed that will allow the box to assume control of the level crossing at Howsham Gates.

Silly Season on the Sunshine Coast

720122 returns to Claction station after being detached from its arriving train (1N18)

As the world’s media feasts on the ultimate silly season story and predicts a close race between Reform leader Nigel Farage and Count Binface in the comical and record breaking Clacton-on-Sea by-election, what better time than now to take a first ever trip along the Sunshine Coast Line.

There are very few parts of our national rail network I have not travelled, but one missing link until now has been the 18-mile double track route from Colchester to the Essex resort, along with the five-mile single-track offshoot from Thorpe-le-Soken to Frinton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze.

Loco action at Abergavenny

67012 + set HD04 approach Abergavenny with 1W57 from Cardiff Central (10.53) to Manchester Piccadilly

Having enjoyed the sight of some interesting special workings in Devon and Cornwall over the past couple of weeks, the promise of more loco action tempts me to pay my first visit for two and a half years (on 2 July 2026) to ever-charming Abergavenny on the Marches Line from Newport to Shrewsbury.

My last visit in January 2024 had led me to discovering a fine vantage point in some woods just south of the station and signal box, so after taking shots looking south from the station’s old footbridge, my plan was to venture back to this spot in the hope of photographing some loco workings passing the Abergavenny semaphores.