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OPINION AS exclusively featured in this issue, the concept of railway heritage has broken a scarcely believed massive acreage of new ground in the past month with the successful staging of an autumn steam gala – in the town of Haivoron, in war-torn Ukraine. October's gala excelled in defying all odds in bringing together not just local transport enthusiasts, but also all of the corners of a community which remains unjustly under siege from its country's super-power neighbour. The steam demonstrations and rides, together with the varied array of fundraising stalls and activities at the town's railway depot and station, offered the spirit of hope to families, many of whose lives have been ravaged by this utterly pointless war, but who are determined to show they will not be beaten…
HEADLINE NEWS THE modern replica of the Stockton & Darlington Railway's opening day train of September 27, 1825, has been assembled at the Hopetown Darlington attraction as a key component of celebrations of the line's bicentenary as the world's first modern railway - and will form the centrepiece of a new Christmas event. As reported last issue, Northern Heritage Engineering of Darlington was contracted by Darlington Borough Council to build replicas of Experiment, the pioneer train's passenger carriage, and three chaldron wagons. The four were delivered to Hopetown on November 8, along with the 1975-built replica of George Stephenson's Locomotion No. 1, which has been overhauled at Locomotive Maintenance Services Ltd in Loughborough. With the locomotive and vehicles equipped to modern main line running standards, the replica train will run…
A PLANNING application to revive the home of Edward Pease, who has been dubbed the 'Father of the Railways, has been submitted by Darlington Borough Council. The scheme for Edward Pease House at 142 Northgate, Darlington, currently occupied by shops, involves the restoration and repair of the Grade II-listed building and the conversion of a fast-food takeaway in the premises into a museum and heritage space, as part of the Stockton & Darlington Railway 200 celebrations next year. The ground floor of the Georgian building will be reinstated as two separate rooms as an exhibition space and Pease's Parlour, a historical replica room. Several other alterations to the interior and exterior, such as new frontage, are included in the plans. Pease was the main promoter of the S&DR, which opened…
THE UK's only double-track heritage main line, the Great Central Railway will be celebrating Railway 200 from March 2025 by reinventing and relaunching the story of the impact of railways on society, and their legacy and opportunity, alongside the story of its own line. Together with its sister line the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) at the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, a two-day Railway 200 celebration will be held on July 5/6, linking the two lines with a classic rail replacement bus service, as happened at the 2024 event to mark 125 years of the GCR's London Extension (as featured in issue 218). Greatest Gathering guest Before then, a similar reunification event, also featuring rail replacement buses, will be staged by both lines on April 5/6. Merseyrail Class 507 EMU No.…
AS WE closed for press, nearly 50 venues had signed up for the Heritage Railway Association's New Year's Day Whistle Up event to mark the start of Railway 200. The first international railway to get involved in the event, which will see locomotives sounding their whistles at noon, was Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij (Veluwe Steam Railway Company) in The Netherlands, and others were thought very likely to be joining in. The event is not restricted to steam: one of the other organisations which signed up quickly was Crich Tramway Village. Are you a user of online professional networking website Linkedin? If so, follow the recently launched Heritage Railway magazine page on Linkedin at www.linkedin.com/company/heritage-railway-magazine/…
AS part of the Railway 200 celebrations, the Railway Touring Company will run two special trains that will travel over part of the original route from Shildon and Stockton to Darlington. On Saturday, September 27, the Railway 200 Special will start at Carnforth and make its way eastwards diesel-hauled via Hellifield, picking up at Skipton, Keighley, Leeds and York. There, the train will be joined by a steam locomotive for the journey north along the East Coast Main Line to Darlington, stopping for further passengers before taking the Tees Valley Line calling at Shildon, the world's first railway town. Passengers will have the opportunity to visit the Locomotion museum which houses the largest undercover collection of historic railway vehicles in Europe, including Robert Stephenson's Locomotion No. 1 and Timothy Hackworth's…
