Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 339 i Heritage Railway

GER ‘Coffee Pot’ 0-4-0ST No. 229 wilbe displayed outside the front of its parent company’s Liverpool Street station on December 8/9 to both mark Railway 200 and to raise money for charity. The Permanent Way Lodge of the Freemasons is holding a funraising event in the former Great Eastern Hotel at Liverpool Street to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Lifelites and The Railway Children charities. George and Robert Stephenson were Freemasons, as were many directors of the GER, including Sir Claude Hamilton, and the hotel was built with two rooms for Masonic Lodges to meet in. One of these, the Grecian Room, is fully restored and will host a gala event and dinner in what is now the Andaz Hotel. As reported in Heritage Railway issue…

POP mogul Pete Waterman OBE has been considering selling his steam locomotives. GWR 2-6-2T No. 5553 is in storage at the Bodmin Railway, having been withdrawn from service this year with leaking boiler tubes. The Waterman Railway Trust also owns under-overhaul 2-8-0T No. 5224, 0-6-2T No. 5224 and South African Railways 2ft gauge NGG16 articulated Garratt No. 109, the latter two both unrestored. In August, he sold Class 46 Peak No. 46035 Ixion and Class 25 D7659 to Harry Needle Rail Ltd.…

CLASS 37 No. 37003 has returned to the Mid-Norfolk Railway after being away for eight years for an engine rebuild. Originally numbered D6703, it was outshopped by Vulcan Foundry on February 28, 1960, and began its working life at Stratford depot. During its main line service, it was given the unofficial name of Tiger Moth. Withdrawn in 1994, it was stored at Bescot and then Crewe, before being bought by the Class 37 Locomotive Group in 1998. Since then it has appeared at several heritage venues, including the East Anglian Railway Museum, the Wensleydale Railway and Locomotion at Shildon, finally arriving on the MNR in 2009. In 2012, it was officially named Dereham Neatherd High School. No. 37003 was withdrawn from service in 2016 due to a leaking cylinder liner.…

A GROUP of Norfolk railway enthusiasts and volunteers have established the Golden Gorse Group and revealed plans to undertake construction of a new example of a Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway C class 4-4-0 locomotive – filling the gap in pre-Grouping era steam locomotive representation, while simultaneously providing something appropriate for the region through which the NNR operates. With 183 route miles to its name, the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway was the biggest ‘joint’ rail network in the UK. The name derived from the Midland supervising operations and providing influence of the motive power, while civil engineering and permanent way became a Great Northern responsibility. But the network’s christening in 1893 was little beyond an amalgamation of existing railway enterprises in East Anglia, including the Bourne &…

A LANDMARK agreement between the Swanage Railway and Network Rail’s Wessex Route enabling closer cooperation and mutual benefit was signed at Corfe Castle on October 24. A new arrangement will see the SR receive donations of redundant railway assets including rail and sleepers that are no longer required on the national network. Rather than be recycled elsewhere, these materials will instead be sustainably repurposed on the heritage line, helping to ensure its continued operation for future generations. The agreement also paves the way for hands-on training and skills development, with NR using SR facilities to deliver practical coaching for employees and apprentices, focusing on maintenance, inspection, and fault-finding on a range of railway assets. In return, the SR will benefit from NR’s in-kind expertise and volunteer support, as staff are…

ON Sunday, October 26, Didcot Railway Centre was visited by Jim Noble, the great, great, great, grandson of GWR engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Jim, who lives in Oxford, inspected the National Railway Museum’s on-loan replica of Daniel Gooch’s 4-2-2 Iron Duke, an 1847 broad gauge design that was capable of unimaginable speed at the time, achieving the 53 miles from London to Didcot in 47 minutes! He also saw the 2005 replica of Gooch’s 2-2-2 Fire Fly of 1840, which was completed at Didcot by the Fire Fly Trust in 2005. Jim also took an interest in the project to rebuild the Heyford station building, which dates from the opening of the railway from Oxford to Banbury in September 1850 and is a typical early GWR structure, based on Brunel’s…

THE Weardale Railway has cancelled this season's Santa Express services following "serious and unforeseen mechanical problems" affecting the line's two operational locomotives. Despite extensive efforts by the team to resolve the issues and secure suitable replacements-including contacting more than 30 locomotive owners and organisations in the UK - the railway has been unable to source alternative locomotives for the much-loved Christmas experience which was due to start at the end of November. In April, the railway invested significantly in refurbishing one of its key locomotives. Class 31 No.31459, which was due to return to service in October. However,additional mechanical problems were identified during the overhaul at Higham Heritage Engineering which caused delays to its completion. Meanwhile, the second operational locomotive, Class 31 No. 31465, suffered a major generator fault, rendering…

MELTON Constable – once the hub of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway – has a new set of village signs celebrating its proud steam age past. Four feature locomotives, while an archway features metal from the station which was closed in 1964, demolished in 1971, and since refurbished. The project was commissioned by signwriter Warren Drew, who charged less than £2000 for the work. Parish clerk Amanda Yacoubian said: "These new signs are a testament to the village's commitment to preserving its heritage while embracing positive change."…

A MINIATURE railway inside Leicester's historic Glenfield Tunnel is to run again next year after a successful debut season. As reported in Heritage Railway issue 335, the Leicestershire Industrial History Society marked Railway 200 by laying a 165ft 7¼in gauge line through the mile-long tunnel, built by the Leicester & Swannington Railway with Robert Stephenson as engineer. Opened in 1832, it was the long railway tunnel in the world in its day. Used to transport coal from the west Leicestershire coalfields into the city, and one of the world's first underground rail routes, and until now the last passengers carried through the tunnel had been on September 24,1928. When the line closed to freight on May 2,1966, the tunnel was bought by Leicester City Council for £5. The society said…

THE Deltic Preservation Society has been in mourning following the passing of vice president Michael S Baker on October 10. Mike lived at Colchester and for many years worked for Paxman Diesels, which undertook Napier power unit repairs for both BR and the Admiralty. Mike serviced Napier applications in the Middle East after the war as both India and Burma had vessels propelled by Napier technology. He became closely involved with the society in autumn 1981 in the final months of the BR Deltic era. A society statement said: “His knowledge of Napier power units was nothing short of extraordinary and he came to the ‘rescue’ of the DPS engineering volunteers on countless occasions. It was obvious he would be an unbelievable asset to what was then an enthusiastic, but somewhat…

PATHFINDER Tours is to run a pre-Christmas excursion from Oxfordshire to Shrewsbury or Chester on Saturday, November 22 behind two Class 37s. Starting out from Oxfordshire Parkway, the tour will head along the Cherwell Valley Line for more passengers at Oxford, then south onto the Great Western Main Line heading west. The next passenger pick-up point is Swindon, before diverting onto the Golden Valley Line for further passenger pick-ups at Kemble, Stroud, Storehouse and Gloucester. Taking the Gloucester-Newport Line, the final stations for passengers to join the tour are scheduled to be Lydney and Chepstow. Continuing on to Newport, the tour will turn north on the Welsh Marches route through Abergavenny, Hereford, Leominster and Ludlow, before arriving at Shrewsbury. At Shrewsbury, passengers have the option of alighting here for a…

NETWORK Rail’s new railway training centre has been named in honour of LNER’s iconic locomotive designer, Sir Nigel Gresley. The Gresley Institute, near Lakeside, in Doncaster, where his legendary locomotives were built, is set to train up to 1000 workers in the rail industry each year and was named in a public competition. The name was a clear winner, receiving 57% of the vote from a shortlist of four, the others being Flying Scotsman House, Duddington and Bray House, and The Corridor. The competition was organised jointly with City of Doncaster Council and attracted more than 3500 responses, and the winning name was revealed at a ceremony held with rail industry and South Yorkshire dignitaries on October 31. Gresley Society Trust chairman Philip Benham said the group was “delighted” to…

GWR 2-6-2T No. 9 Prince of Wales was one of final last steam locomotives to operate under BR and last carried the company’s BR blue livery in 1982. As reported in Heritage Railway issue 337, it reappeared in the colours at the line’s October 25/26 Steam Festival, alongside its sisters carrying two different BR liveries – a superb way in which to celebrate Railway 200 and the line’s history as part of the national network. No. 7 Owain Glyndŵr has been freshly repainted in BR lined green and reunited with its original nameplates, while No. 8 Llywelyn carried BR black with lionholdingwheel crest. No other UK steam locomotives other than the Rheidol tanks ever authentically carried the blue corporate image, making No. 9’s repaint a one-off.˜ It also ran for…

BR˜W° totems Highbridge for BurnhamonSea, BR(M) Dane Road and BR(E) Dovercourt Bay are among items set to go under the hammer in Main Line Railwayana’s November 29 auction, as is a diesel era headboard for the London Euston-Glasgow Central ‘Caledonian’ express. Within the nameplate selection is Bagisu with cabside and smokebox numberplates from East African Railways’ Class 31 2-8-4 No. 3105, while a Midland Railway Signal Department Derby maker’s plate dated 1894 will also feature. The auction is live online and starts at 10am.…

A COLLECTION of railway tickets from a variety of overseas countries including Algeria, Morocco, Malaysia, Japan and Hong Kong topped the realisations list in a Transport Auctions of London live online sale on October 25 by selling for £950. Occupying the runner-up spot at £750 was BR(S) platform totem sign for Wivelsfield. A selection of nearly 450 pre-Grouping and pre-Nationalisation and preLondon Transport tickets, including examples issued by the GER, GNR, LNWR and Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway, took third place at with a price of £700. More than 1300 GWR, LMS and LNER tickets sold as a single lot for £650, and BR’s Southern Region returned with a second totem, Ash Vale, that realised £500. Prices exclude buyer's premium of 15% (+ VAT). Railwayana Auction Calendar Ends November 23…

GREAT Central Railwayana’s quarterly winter auction, which will be spread over no fewer than three days from December 6-8 with 1500 lots going under the hammer, will see four preGrouping locomotive nameplates and representatives of all of the Big Four in a head-to-head involving 11 locomotives. The oldest competitor by a matter of months will be Tawstock Court from March 1913-built GWR Saint class No. 2951, followed by Sir Edward Fraser from GCR October 1913-built Class D10 No. 62653, Princess Alice from June 1914-built GWR Star class No. 4050, and Loch Quoich carried by August 1921 GNR-built K2 class No. 61787. From the post-Grouping era are LNER duo Merry Hampton (A3 No. 60066 constructed in July 1924), and Roxburghshire (D49 No. 62715 built in March 1928), Arethusa from LMS Jubilee…

FOR many, it is steam and diesel locomotives that come to mind when thinking of heritage traction – but as time marches on, even modern units are becoming classed this way by some enthusiasts. To that end, Bachmann’s revelation of its planned Class 313 and 314 EMUs in OO will appeal to those who grew up travelling on these now withdrawn trains. Both classes were developments of British Rail’s prototype Standard Suburban Train, for which three prototype units were built at the start of the 1970s. Designated 2-PEP and 4-PEP, which stood for Prototype Electro Pneumatic, these spawned a family of units known as the PEP family. The Class 313 were the very first production units to appear from this family, which eventually spanned five classes and encompassed some 755…

THE heading for this book’s first 10 chapters sums it up: ‘A famous train – and a world-famous locomotive,’ writes Geoff Courtney. That says it all, although there could be a suffix to the heading: ‘And a publisher’s dream.’ For no other locomotive, and thus by connection the eponymous named express, has such a worldwide following. Whether that is justified and well-earned or something of a mystery is a debate for another day. An important element of this publication is that the images were taken by top photographer Gavin Morrison, who in his lengthy career has recorded the East Coast Main Line from the days of steam to today’s Azuma trains that cover nearly 400 miles in a little over four hours. So, the book isn’t about Flying Scotsman the…

THERE are few works of fiction that have such extensive lore around them – particularly for ones largely aimed at younger readers. Between The Lines was first published in 2005 and answered many of the regular questions that the Rev Wilbert Awdry, author of The Railway Series books about Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends, received from readers, ranging from the simple (such as which book did Percy first appear in) to the more complex (why is Thomas blue?). It also contains a history of the fictional railways on which the stories are set, helping to anchor some of them in context for the reader. Wilbert was always conscious of never speaking down to children in his writing, believing them to be more intelligent than publishers often gave them…

ONE of the UK’s most distinctive private railway collections assembled over four decades by the late David Buck is now being offered for sale, representing an exceptional opportunity for preservationists, collectors, and heritage operators. The collection, based near Windsor, includes three operational steam locomotives including the largest in the UK, meticulously restored and maintained for use on his dual-gauge garden railway. It reflects a lifetime of passion and commitment to steam heritage by David, who died in August 2024 at the age of 80. At the heart of the collection is Hr1 No. 1016 Lady Patricia, a striking 5ft gauge Pacific built by Tampella for the Finnish State Railways in 1955. Imported to the UK in the 1990s and acquired by David in 2009, the locomotive was restored to working…

THE scheme to restore the Severn Beach Miniature Railway, helping to revive the ‘lost’ seaside resort near Bristol, has halted in its tracks. Lead project engineer Joe Nemeth, a local resident, has pulled out of the project, citing frustration with the handling by South Gloucestershire Council of planning issues since he launched the scheme 18 months ago, selling his own collection of vintage vehicles and railwayana to fund it. The first miniature line at Severn Beach was opened in 1936 and ran until the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, and then afterwards in various guises until 1976. The era of Severn Beach as a holiday and pleasure resort ended in the mid-1970s. Mr Nemeth, of Joe Nemeth Engineering Ltd, has been designing, building, installing and operating miniature…

BRIGHTON'S award-winning Volks Electric Railway's ticket office and toilets at Black Rock station have been refurbished by Southern Water at a cost of £366,000. The ticket office in the station at the marina end of Madeira Drive on the seafront had become rundown, with leaky roofs and an unusable public toilet. While Southern Water was undertaking work to improve its vital pumping station below the station, it took the opportunity to rectify the problems above ground. Coun Birgit Miller, Brighton & Hove City Council’s cabinet member for culture, heritage, and tourism, said: “We’ve heard loud and clear from residents how frustrating it’s been not having access to public toilets in this area and how crucial they are to ensuring older people, children, and anyone with health needs can get out…

NEARLY 60 entries were received for the National Railway Heritage Awards 2025, with more than half of them making the shortlist. The awards were to be presented by the Minister for Rail, Peter, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill, at a ceremony at the Merchant Taylors Hall, London, on December 3. Chairman of trustees Andy Savage MBE said the strength of the entries “shows how much success we have had in encouraging the conservation and reuse of our built railway heritage since we were founded 1979. “In the year that we celebrate 200 years of the modern passenger railway, it is remarkable to note that the awards have been part of that industry for 46 years, almost a quarter of the time.” Several of those on the shortlist were from heritage…

AN appeal for up to £200,000 has been launched to build a two-road shed to house a growing fleet of Victorian and Edwardian carriages being stored at the East Somerset Railway. Three projects are currently undergoing restoration, with the aim of creating a complete wooden-bodied train as a significant tourist draw on high days and holidays and an educational resource. One is a combination of a Midland Railway Third Class five-compartment coach body, No. 255 of 1890, and an MR six-wheel chassis, No. 1753, acquired from the Swindon & Cricklade Railway. The chassis is of a similar vintage and identical to one that would have been under No. 255. The second is a twin coach with the same history, with the chassis being restored and the body in storage awaiting…

THE ROMIC Group has officially launched its reliveried Inter City 125 High Speed Train for UK charter work and spot hire on the Mid-Norfolk Railway. Class 43 power cars Nos. 43094 and 43122 and three Mk. 3 HST carriage were unveiled in their new red livery at a well-attended private event Dereham on October 7. The set appeared in public for the first time when it formed the star attraction at the MNR Preservation Trust’s 30th anniversary weekend on October 22/23, which marked the end of the 2025 public running season before festive services, including the Polar Express, begin. The anniversary weekend also saw Class 47 No. 47580 County of Essex and Class 33202 Dennis G. Robinson running with Mk. 3 DVT 82112 and three Mk. 3 carriages, while other…

THE Strathspey Railway was seen by more than 11.1 million TV viewers who turned in for the final of Celebrity Traitors reality series on November 6, the most-watched TV programme of the year so far. Boat of Garten station, near to the Traitors' Ardross Castle, has appeared in every series so far. The final challenge involved a steam train journey in which the contestants had to retrieve five gold bars in 20 minutes before it exploded. They escaped, adding £20,000 to the prize fund, which reached £87,500 and was won by comedian Alan Carr, who donated it to a children's cancer charity for neuroblastoma. An SR statement said: "For the third consecutive year, the railway is proud to provide the steam locomotives and heritage carriages that, along with the beautiful…

A SPECIAL farewell tour for South Western Railway's Class 455 EMUs will take place on Sunday, December 21. Built by British Rail Engineering in 1982-85, they have run on SWR routes since March 1983, making them among the oldest trains still in use on the national network. However, they have been phased out in favour of the company's new £1 billion Class 701 Arterio fleet, with each 10-car train carrying more than 50% passengers than the 455s. SWR is running the 'Class 455 Farewell' tour in conjunction with the Branch Line Society, which sold all 400 allocated tickets on November 10 when they were released. Profits are being split between charities The Alex Wardle Foundation, Macmillan, and The Railway Children. The tour will depart Waterloo just after 9.30am and visit…

THE Railway Touring Company is off ering two separate steam-hauled tours with a festive theme in the run-up to Christmas. The first excursion will see Merchant Navy Pacific No. 35028 Clan Line haul ‘The Sherborne Christmas Carol’ on Wednesday, December 3 to either Sherborne or the Yeovil Railway Centre. Steam-hauled from London Victoria, the train will head via Clapham Junction and onto the Waterloo-Reading Line for the next passenger pick-up at Staines. From here, it will run via the Chertsey Branch Line to pick up the South West Main Line for more passenger pick-ups at Woking and Basingstoke. At Worting Junction, the train takes the West of England Main Line, passing through Andover and Salisbury, to the first destination of Sherborne. Here, passengers are expected to have just over three-and-a-half…

MIDLAND Pullman is running the ‘Edinburgh Christmas Pullman’ from North Wales to Edinburgh on its restored HST set. Departing from Bangor on Monday, December 1, the train will head east along the North Wales Main Line, picking up additional passengers at Llandudno Junction, Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Flint and Chester. From here, the tour will take the Chester -Warrington Line for more passengers at Frodsham and Warrington Bank Quay. Picking up the West Coast Main Line, the next pickup point is planned to be Wigan North Western, followed by Preston. With all passengers on board, the train will then head north through Carlisle and across the border at Carstairs South Junction, taking the route via Kirknewton and Haymarket and into Edinburgh’s busy Waverley station. Passengers will have about three hours to…

THE Branch Line Society will run a festive excursion along the East Coast Main Line behind a Class 66 on Friday, December 19 under the title of ‘The Christmas Train.’ Starting from King’s Cross, the tour will head north to the next passenger pick-up at Peterborough. It will head to Doncaster to collect more passengers and then York. After York, the train is bound for the first stop of Durham, where passengers have the option to spend three hours in the city. Those who choose to stay aboard can continue on to Newcastle for about two-and-a-half hours there. In both cities, Christmas festivities will be well underway. The return journey is planned to initially follow the outward route back to York and Doncaster, setting down passengers at each station after…

I START by continuing my report of ‘The Mayflower’ on September 6, 2025. Alan Rawlings set out a description o the return runs from Plymouth last issue and Table One shows the detail of this, notable for the very fast start including a minimum of 24mph on Hemerden bank. With 415 tons shared between the two locomotives, in performance terms it wasn’t outstanding, but it was the acoustics which made it so enjoyable. I now move on to some good work by rebuilt West Country class Pacific No. 34013 Okehampton on two runs, both in 1965. First, in Table Two is a very good run on the 6pm Waterloo to Exeter Central as far as Salisbury on Wednesday, June 2. With the usual 11-coach load for 400 tons, driver Hooper…

THE Vale of Rheidol Railway appointed its first female guard since the line opened 123 years ago. Commercial manager Claire Stott, who joined the railway in March, passed out as a guard in August. She has a background in hospitality and management from her time as general manager of Nanteos Mansion and was given the remit to lead commercial development. However, Claire also decided to become involved with operating trains too. “In my first season, I have worked on projects such as launching Caffi Cledrau at Aberystwyth station and introducing the Cledrau Picnic for First Class passengers, both of which have been exciting developments for our visitors,” she said. “But from the start, I also wanted to get involved with the railway at a deeper level. “Training as a guard…

A COLOURED geological map of England and Wales published in 1835 that showed inland navigation by way of railroads, principal roads, canals and rivers, sold for £960 in the Paperchase auction that ran from October 14-28, and a GWR ‘Picturesque Wales Tourist Tickets’ poster card went for £550. Not far behind at £510 each were a House of Lords volume of the evidence in committee on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Bill, dated 1895, and an October 1965 BR(S) poster announcing the withdrawal of all passengers services on the Isle of Wight. Prices exclude buyer’s premium of 12½%. As reported on this page, this was the final Paperchase auction to be held by Brian Moakes, who is retiring 27 years after founding the auction house.…

TWO GWR locomotives built by world-renowned modelmaker David Aitken to exhibition standard in 7¼in gauge live steam outpaced the opposition in a railwayana and model trains saleroom and live online auction held by Harper Field of Stonehouse, Glos, on October 9. First past the post was No. 4082 Windsor Castle, which went for £34,000, followed at £22,000 by 2-8-0 No. 3822. Behind these two five-figure successes came another 7¼in live steam model, of LBSCR Class G 2-2-2 No. 334 Petworth (£8000), and a 5in gauge live steam Britannia No. 70039 Sir Christopher Wren, complete with a ‘Hook Continental’ headboard, which fetched £6800. A quartet of 5in gauge models hovering above £3000 was led by GWR 4-2-2 Bulkeley, for which the successful bid was £3800, an unnumbered LMS ‘Black Five’ (£3700),…

AUTUMN was a busy time for Rapido as a number of projects advanced, among them being the Midland Railway 483 4-4-0s and GNR J52/2 locomotives, which have seen decorated samples received, all of which are under review ahead of entering full production. Flaws were discovered with the Andrew Barclay 0-4-0 Fireless locomotives following delivery of stock to the firm’s offices in Kent, necessitating their return to the factory in China to be corrected, meaning this has notably delayed their delivery to customers. New liveries have also been announced for some of the various wagons across Rapido’s range, while its Evolution range of coaches has seen the tooling modified to enable London Transport livery examples to offer the curved door tops that were common on vehicles across many of the wooden…

HOW often it is that something which initially seems odd to us eventually becomes so familiar that it no longer causes a second thought? A new mate’s unusual first name for example, or perhaps Aunt Matilda’s choice of headgear, writes Geoff Courtney. Or maybe a station name. Will Adams reckons that’s an odd enough subject to justify a book, and the hierarchy at Transport Treasury agrees. In his preface he explains that the publication, which he describes as unusual, takes a slightly sideways look at railway history by investigating the origins of the names of a variety of railway locations. More than 40 across the former Southern Railway network are listed – indicating that there may be more in the series covering other areas – and while I’m prepared to…

COMPANION to a previous publication by the author that focused on EMUs in the region, here he looks at the timeline and progression of DMUs once found running commuter and inter-regional services through destinations such a North Staffordshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, and more. Predominantly a picture-led publication, it does not limit itself to the early generations of these units, nor does it focus exclusively on modern variants either. It is instead a fairly comprehensive visual timeline of their introduction in the region and how they have changed in the more than 50 years since. DMUs are often regarded as the ‘Cinderellas’ of heritage lines and the same could perhaps be said of main line duties too; where locomotive development saw steam and diesel traction become hefty machines of might and power,…

AN MP launched a bid for the Stockton & Darlington Railway to be made a UNESCO World Heritage Site during a debate in the House of Commons. As reported in Heritage Railway issue 338, more than 100,000 people attended the S&DR bicentenary celebrations around Darlington, Shildon and Stockton during September 26-28, with many visitors travelling from abroad to attend. Alan Strickland, Labour member for Newton Aycliffe and Spennymoor, said: “I was proud to welcome thousands of visitors to my constituency to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the S&DR, but we want to build a permanent tourism legacy. “Will the Leader of the House help me meet the relevant minister to discuss whether we could put forward this fantastic historic line to be a UNESCO World Heritage site?” Responding, the leader…

TWO Cumbrian bridges have been granted Grade II-listed status by English Heritage. Cowran Bridge, Skellion Bridge and Cowran Cutting were a part of the biggest civil engineering project on the Newcastle to Carlisle line, forming the biggest railway cutting in the UK when it opened in 1836. In 2023, one of Cowran Bridge’s walls collapsed onto the line. Network Rail planned to knock down one of the remaining walls, replacing them with aluminium picket fencing. However, a campaign launched to save the structures proved successful. Historic England said the Newcastle to Carlisle railway was one of the pioneering lines of the first phase of the development of the network and was also the first cross-country line built in England.…

WINTER services at the Nene Valley Railway will be in the hands of BR 2-6-0 2MT No. 78019 – with the locomotive set to revive a long-scrapped classmate for a photographic charter during its brief visit to the line. Following its appearance at the Great Central Railway’s November 15/16 Last Hurrah gala, the 2MT will move to the NVR in time to debut there on Santa specials that commence on November 29 and run until Christmas Eve, including three quiet trains on December 17 for those with special sensory needs. Following a break for Christmas and the new year, driver experience courses will run on January 2/3, allowing a small number of people the opportunity to take the controls of No. 78019. Participants will receive one hour of tuition before…

THIS year was a momentous one in the history of rail travel, marking the bicentenary of the world’s first passenger railway which ran between Stockton & Darlington. Although railways had existed before then in some form or other, this occasion denoted the start of modern rail travel and, as time has gone on, innovation has shaped and expanded the railway network in the UK and worldwide. Throughout the year, the UK’s main line operators, heritage railways, museums and more came together for a year of unified celebrations. From locomotive parades to the largest gathering of rolling stock in a generation, and from galas to exhibitions, there was barely anywhere with an historic railway connection that did not celebrate in some way. This publication recounts many of the numerous highlights that…

THE Great Central Railway has raised nearly half of a £30,000 appeal to give its Leicester North southern terminus a facelift in a month since it was launched. A reported in Heritage Railway issue 337, a donor has offered to match donations pound for pound up to £15,000. Other donations topped £6000 in four weeks and grant aid has added a further £750, with hopes to undertake the work this winter. To donate, visit www.gcrailway.co.uk/news/leicester-north-appeal-2025/…

THE East Somerset Railway has taken a major step forward with the completion of an interim signalling project that facilitates the operation of multiple trains and brings the second platform at Cranmore into customer use. The new platform was built with Heritage Lottery funding from 2018. Beginning in 2022, the line’s volunteers have designed, built, and installed a signalling system to enable trains to be safely operated from both platforms for the first time. Ending the two-and-a-half-mile line’s era of one-train operation, colour light signals have been installed prior to the intended transfer to classic semaphores. Track sensors will indicate train movements. Ground was broken on October 25, with a service hauled by GWR 2-6-2 No. 4555, with Class 108 DMU No. L231 also in operation. Large prairie No. 4110…

LIVE steam has arrived at Donegal Railway Heritage Museum – but only in model form. Celebrated Irish railway enthusiast Lord Raymond O’Neill presented the museum with a model Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway 4-8-4T, built by Hudswell Clarke in 1912 for the steeply graded line out to Burtonport. The model, which was built in Derry by engineer Lester Jackson, was restored to working order by Dublin modelmaker Harry Connaughton. It represents the largest and most powerful steam locomotive to run on Irish narrow gauge; when built, it was more powerful than many 5ft 3in gauge engines in Ireland. The museum is looking at how the locomotive might be operated in steam as the nearest thing yet to having its own full-scale County Donegal Railways 2-6-4T Drumboe back in action. Niall…

A SIGNALBOX nameboard has been presented by Network Rail to a coal mining heritage group The sign from outside the Prince of Wales Colliery 'box in Pontefract had been kept in storage since the structure was demolished in 2024, when the level crossing was upgraded to one with automated technology. Prince of Wales Colliery Memorial Group member Garry Foreman, who worked at the pit for more than 30 years, approached Network Rail to ask about the sign's fate, fearing that it might end up in a skip. The group wanted to add it to their growing collection of local historical memorabilia. The 'Ponty Prince' pit operated for more than 130 years and produced 1.5 million tonnes of coal annually until its 2002 closure due to geological issues. Garry said: "It…

ANOTHER step forward to reopening the GWR Portishead branch line to passengers for the first time in 64 years has seen final phase of enabling works now underway, ready for construction to start in 2026. As reported in Heritage Railway issue 335, the multimillion-pound project was given the green light by the Department for Transport in July after Government funding of more than £47 million was granted. New stations will be built at Portishead and Pill, with trains initially running hourly along the line to and from Bristol Temple Meads in 2028. The aim is to slash travel times in half and help reduce road congestion. This new phase of preparatory works includes clearing vegetation and trees along sections of the disused line to create the space needed to build…

BR Standard Class 7 No. 70000 Britannia will head Steam Dreams’ ‘Santa Steam Express’ on Saturday, December 20 and Monday, December 22 from London Victoria. Each tour will last 90 minutes and involve a circular route out through the London suburbs, with plenty of Christmas festivities onboard. There are four tours scheduled to run each day, all set to be behind Britannia, departing at 9.15am, 11.45am, 3.15pm and 5.15pm. Tickets are available in Coach Class, Club Class, or a private compartment for these tours. Each guest will receive refreshments and children will get a gift from Santa. For more details and to book, visit steamdreams.co.uk…

A UK Railtours tour to the North East will offer passengers the chance to visit either Beamish Museum or Durham just before Christmas. Under the title of ‘Beamish at Christmas and Festive Durham,’ the tour will run from Finsbury Park on Saturday, December 20 behind a GB Railfreight Class 66. The first part of the tour is scheduled to head south on what would have been an empty coaching stock move from Finsbury Park to King’s Cross. From King’s Cross, the tour will head north on the East Coast Main Line, picking up at Potters Bar, Stevenage, Peterborough and York. Off-train options On arrival at Durham, passengers will have the option of being transferred to road coaches to spend three hours at Beamish. Those who choose not to attend Beamish…

PETERSFIELD’S Grade II-listed LSWR Type 3a signalbox, which on October 26 signalled its last train, bringing 141 years of history to an end, has been reprieved by Network Rail after earlier being earmarked for demolition as part of major upgrades of the Portsmouth Direct Line. The signalbox replaced an earlier structure when it opened in 1884. The last service to signalled manually on the Farncombe to Petersfield section was the 2P77 southbound South Western Railway service. The day afterwards, Farncombe ’box was reduced to rubble. However, NR has changed its mind regarding the Petersfield one and will retain it as a training facility. As reported in Heritage Railway issue 337, Haslemere 'box will be turned into a heritage centre, but its Petersfield counterpart is considered to be too close to…

LONDON, East Anglia, the Midlands, the North West and the Welsh valleys are among the locations in the spotlight in JustaClickAgo’s online week-long sale of photographs, negatives, slides and paperwork that ends on November 23. Negatives include a selection taken in East Anglia in late 1981 by John Baker, a member of the Phoenix Railway Photographic Circle, and a collection from mainly the late 1950s of LMS locomotives and scenes at such locations as Camden, Cricklewood, Bedford, Rose Grove, Canklow and Burton. Among the colour slides is a country-wide selection from the dying days of steam, and there are also 1980s and 1990s Welsh valley scenes by the late Gareth Shadbolt and heritage steam slides by Neil Harvey and Peter Herring. Early 1970s Western Region dieselhydraulic negatives are also on…

A BR(S) Folkestone poster by one of the nation’s favourite children’s artists, Ronald Lampitt (1906-88), sold for £1900, more than 30 times its middle estimate of £60, at a Lacy Scott & Knight of Bury St Edmunds railwayana and model trains auction on October 24. Worcester-born Lampitt, who also produced work for the GWR, SR, and LMS, never received formal art training, but style, as a Ladybird Books’ illustrator in particular appealed to young and old alike. The price excludes buyer’s premium of 22 ½% (+VAT).…

SUNDAY Times bestseller Milly, who lives in Barnsley, is one of the UK’s top 10 female fiction authors, and her 23rd novel is a classic romance for Christmas in a steam railway setting. Seven strangers find themselves marooned on a snowbound platform days before Christmas and take shelter in the ‘Yorkshire Belle’ steam train, forced by circumstances to spend the festive season together. Each of them is locked in a separate emotional turmoil of their own: one, for instance, has to bear with the thought of her former partner getting married on Christmas Eve. The group is joined by a mysterious stranger who is lost in the snow – but is there more to his story? With snowstorm relentlessly raging on, each of the group opens up to another on…