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HAVING ascended the first of the twin peaks of Railway 200 to be mesmerised by the exhilarating sights from the summit, Britain has been left owing an enormous debt of gratitude –not just to Alstom and its ground-breaking unique combination of partners from the main line and heritage sectors who made The Greatest Gathering one of the most successful events of its kind of all time, but also those who are responsible for the entire national Railway 200 programme. Winners all! Its multitude of events, big and small, have switched large swathes of the public on to the sheer importance of the 200th anniversary of the world’s first modern train movement, when passengers rode behind George Stephson’s Locomotion No. 1 in the carriage Experiment in a rake of chaldron wagons…
A YEAR-LONG series of events will mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of legendary locomotive designer Sir Nigel Gresley. The Gresley Society Trust, founded in 1963 to honour the life and works of the designer of LNER icons including Flying Scotsman, Cock O’The North and Mallard, has arranged a series of commemorative events under the banner A Legacy of Innovation, Speed and Elegance. They will be held in collaboration with Doncaster City Council and other partner railway organisations, and an application has been submitted to the National Heritage Lottery Fund for support. The centrepiece will be a symposium and gala dinner on Saturday, June 20, 2026, at the Mansion House, Doncaster, featuring presentations by esteemed speakers exploring Gresley’s personal history, professional achievements, and his enduring influence on modern railways.…
TWO redundant trains from the Tyne and Wear Metro are being given to Beamish Museum and the Stephenson Railway Museum rather than being scrapped. The 45-year-old Metrocars, currently being phased out, are being sent for recycling, with much of their used metals repurposed and shipped abroad to support manufacturing. North East metal recycling specialist J Denham Metals Ltd is taking them to its yard near Bishop Auckland. Metals from the Metro’s rolling stock – including aluminium, copper and steel – are being exported via regional hubs to countries including Spain, India and Turkey. The Tyne and Wear Metrocars were manufactured by Metro-Cammell in Birmingham between 1978 and 1981 and are designated as Class 599 under TOPS. They are being replaced by Stadler Class 555 Metro units. A total of 29…
A Grade II-listed footbridge on the Dean Forest Railway was severely damaged in an incident involving an engineering train which is believed to have struck it on August 14. The bridge, which carries a public footpath over the line at St Mary’s Halt, partway between Lydney Junction and Norchard on the 4¼-mile line, is believed to be the last-surviving piece of infrastructure from the Severn & Wye Junction Railway. It was built in 1892 to prevent possible accidents being caused by people crossing the line ahead of trains. It was closed in 2007 after concerns were raised about its condition. A diversionary route was in place for 11 years before funding from the Rural Development Programme for England was secured to enable repairs to take place, and it reopened in…
A FORGOTTEN oil painting by renowned railway artist Terence Cuneo has gone on display at the Derby Museum of Making, portraying the venue for Alstom’s record-breaking The Greatest Gathering festival as it was in 1959. Alstom has loaned the artwork, which was safely stored on site several decades ago ahead of refurbishment works but never went back on display. It was during preparations for The Greatest Gathering festival that organisers reached out to the Museum of Making to ensure that the piece’s historical significance was fully recognised and enjoyed as widely as possible. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the museum at Derby Silk Mill – the world’s first modern factory – showcases the region’s 200-year history of innovation, ingenuity and creativity. An accomplished portraiture and landscape painter, Terence Cuneo (1907-1996)…
EXCLUSIVE THE Glyn Valley Tramway Trust has announced plans to build a new steam locomotive. The trust now owns the rolling chassis of a Kerr Stuart Tattoo 0-4-2ST that will become the revived tramway’s flagship once built. The chassis was donated by the family of enthusiast Christopher Castro, who had been building the locomotive as a metalworking project and sent the wheels to the Statfold Barn Railway workshops to be profiled. Sadly, he died last year. The family advertised the frames – the component which gives a locomotive its identity – and wheels on Facebook Marketplace for free of charge and the GVTT took up the offer. The family wishes the locomotive to be completed in his memory and it shall be named Christopher at their request, numbered five to…
