Indholdsfortegnelse for Issue 341 i Heritage Railway

RAILWAY200 saw pride in Britain’s world-changing transport legacy reach a new pinnacle, and the Stockton & Darlington Railway of 1825 was celebrated in a more than befitting manner. This year, we mark another momentous occasion: the 75th anniversary of the sowing of the seeds by Tom Rolt and co that led to our proud heritage railway sector, beginning with the Talyllyn marking another world first - the initial line to be saved and run by volunteers. That landmark anniversary has already been splendidly marked by a £3.7 million National Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the major redevelopment of Pendre works and volunteer accommodation at Tywyn Wharf, as reported on Headline News, pages 6 and 7. “A reunified GCR has enormous potential to become one of world’s greatest heritage lines.” However,…

PERFUME, a sound and light immersive installation by an internationally acclaimed French artist Yann Ngeuma, will be the final event in the celebration of the bicentenary of the world’s first modern railway. The exhibition at Preston Park Museum in Stockton-on-Tees, the last in the Tracks of Change exhibition, will explore the surprising role that railways play in the natural world, from seed distribution to aiding pollination Opening on January 17, the installation inside the museum’s new exhibition space, The Spence Building, will see visitors surrounded by gentle waves of colour and light, accompanied by the rhythm of a soundtrack composed by Zero Gr4vity, creating hypnotic poetic landscapes full of petals, pollen, and nature. Known worldwide for transforming spaces with light and sound, this is the first time Yann Nguema’s work…

THE West Somerset Railway will celebrate its 50th anniversary in style this May with the promise of a trio of GWR/WR Manor 4-6-Os following the announcement that No. 7802 Bradley Manor will head back to the region for the majority of the line’s 2026 operating season. Owned by the Erlestoke Manor Fund, whose flagship No. 7812 is already on long-term loan to the line, Bradley Manor (picture, page 19) will depart the Severn Valley Railway in April and work on the WSR until November, when it will return to Bridgnorth in time for the SVR’s festive trains and January 2027 winter steam gala. The temporary move comes following mutual discussions between the EMF and SVR about making the best use of the recently overhauled locomotive, and so all its contracted…

THE GCR 567 Locomotive Group has launched a £160,000 fundraising appeal to finance the construction of the new-build locomotive’s boiler, with sights set on having this major component completed in 2028 and the locomotive operational two years after that. The group is looking to revive one of the Great Central Railway’s long-lost Class 2 4-4-0s, the first of which was introduced in 1890 and derived from a Thomas Parker design built by Kitson Works in 1887 for the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway. Under the LNER, they became the D7 class, but none passed into BR ownership, with the last example withdrawn in 1939. As such, the GCR567LG was set up to construct a replica of No. 567, which was the final example of the first batch of six locomotives…

WINTER hit hard around the new year with temperatures below zero and severe frosts. However, undaunted Severn Valley Railway volunteers staged a spectacular show for their third Winter Steam Gala, which took place on January 3/4. All the locomotives in operation came from the home fleet, including GWR 4-6-0s No. 7802 Bradley Manor and No. 4930 Hagley Hall and 0-4-2T No. 1450, all Swindon-built. As reported on page 12, No. 7802 will head to the West Somerset on loan from April. Completing the Great Western line-up was Kerr Stuart 0-6-0PT No. 7714.From the LMS came Stanier Mogul No. 13268, and Swindon-built BR Standard 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75069 completed the roster. Nos. 7714 and 7802 were turned to face north after Christmas, giving greater variety for photography. No. 1450 ran in…

THE final push is on at the Severn Valley Railway as GWR large prairie No. 4150 is beginning to take shape inside Bridgnorth shed, with its boiler now in place and its side tanks fitted. Designed by Charles Collett, it was built in 1947 at Swindon Works, entering service at Stourbridge Junction. It worked local services which may have included those over the Severn Valley, making it a very local engine. From 1953 to 1962, it was in the West Country, shedded at Weymouth, Taunton, Exeter and Newton Abbot. Its final shed was Severn Tunnel Junction where, in a rundown condition, it was used to bank heavy trains through the tunnel. After only 18 years in service, it was withdrawn in 1965 and sent to Woodham Brothers scrapyard. Purchased in…

DESPITE freezing temperatures, the number of visitors to the Swanage Railway’s Winter Warm Up weekend on January 3-4 was said to be double that of last year. The bumper attendance once again showed that heritage railway events can be a major crowd-puller for seaside resorts well outside the spring and summer seasons. The event marked the start of a year of celebrations for the Purbeck lines’ 50th anniversary. It was in February 1976 that a small group of dedicated volunteers started restoration work at a disused and boarded-up Swanage station – half a century later, the result is one of Europe’s finest coastal heritage lines. The steam locomotives rostered were unique Victorian LSWR T3 4-4-0 No. 563 from the 1890s, Southern Railway U class 2-6-0 No. 31806 from the 1920s,…

THE boiler for what will be Britain’s most powerful steam locomotive, Gresley P2 -2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales, was delivered to the new Darlington Locomotive Works on December 9. The boiler is the single largest component required for The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s £7 million P2 project. Costing more than £500,000, it was built at Dampflokwerk, in Meiningen, Germany. Before delivery, the boiler underwent a hydraulic test and was approved by the TÜV Certification body. Following delivery, it is now housed alongside the wheeled frames, tender and monobloc fabricated cylinder. Built in the 1930s, the P2 ‘Mikados’ were the most powerful express passenger locomotives to ever operate in the UK and were designed to haul 600-ton trains over the arduous Edinburgh to Aberdeen route. Proud day P2 project director…

A TRIO of visiting locomotives will headline the Bluebell Railway’s March 20-22 gala, which this year steps away from the traditional branch line theme that in recent times has seen this springtime event offer a line-up in contrast to the annual autumnal celebration of steam giants. Crossing the Solent for the first time since completing its latest overhaul in February 2025, LBSCR A1X ‘Terrier’ W8 Freshwater will visit from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway to support classmate and Bluebell resident A1 No. 72 Fenchurch, offering a comparison between two different members of a class that received multiple modifications and rebuilds in the years following its introduction in 1872. ‘Terriers’ have become synonymous with the Bluebell Railway, with Fenchurch having arrived in 1964, four years after classmate No. 55 Stepney…

STAFF and volunteers at the Kent & East Sussex Railway had cause to celebrate the new year after learning they had won a prestigious regional event of the year title for its steam gala held last April and also an award for its Wealden Pullman dining trains – although their delight was tempered by having to say farewell to Robin Coombes after the abolition of his general manager post, as reported in last month’s issue. Both awards were announced at a ceremony held by Tourism South East at Brighton on December 9. The gala that won the event of the year title for the KESR was the railway’s Dwarves of Steam weekend on April 26/27 – a victory that means it will automatically go through to the nationwide Visit England…

THE LNER Coach Association and the Stainmore Railway Company have agreed to work together to complete the restoration of NER-designed Open Third No. 945 and rehome it at Kirkby Stephen East. No. 945 is currently at Rampart Engineering at Barrow Hill, where it was shortly due to have a mechanical overhaul, including bogies, brake system, gangways and steam heat, along with work on the panelling. Once that work is complete, it will be available for traffic; further internal works will be carried out in due course. Ownership of No. 945 will remain with LNERCA, which also owns NER Luggage Composite No. 1111 of 1890 and Gresley Corridor Brake Third No. 3669 of 1930, both already located at Kirkby Stephen East. Built at York Works in 1924, No. 945 was completed…

THE Gauge Museum at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway has just been awarded full accreditation by the Arts Council. The museum, which is run by the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust and is based in the former goods shed which closed in 1964, holds a wide range of artefacts which display and tell the story of the history and heritage of both the Minehead branch and the GWR. Accreditation means that the Gauge Museum is properly managed and governed to the nationally agreed industry standard and shows the museum takes proper care of its collections, sharing them with visitors and keeping them safe for future generations. It opens up funding opportunities, allowing museums to host touring exhibitions, and gives access to professional advice, while giving confidence to donors…

A PLAY telling the story of the derailment of the ‘Flying Scotsman’ train during the General Strike of 1926 is to be staged at Newcastle Theatre Royal on July 12. The Cramlington Train Wreckers is one of two events organised by Northumberland-born playwright Ed Waugh to mark the centenary of the strike. The play was a sell-out success and received widespread critical acclaim when it toured seven venues in 2024. It tells how, seven days into the strike, eight Northumberland miners mistakenly derailed the train headed by A3 Pacific No. 2565 Merry Hampton on May 10, 1926, between Annitsford and Cramlington when they had set out to target a blackleg coal train. To stop the coal train, the Cramlington miners had unbolted a rail on the East Coast Main Line.…

SCOTLAND’S historic Spey Viaduct -which was built to carry the Great North of Scotland Railway’s Moray coastline between Portsoy and Elgin -has been cordoned off by police after partially collapsing into the river below. Completed in 1886, the 950ft ninearch iron girder structure over the River Spey, near Garmouth in Moray, is popular with cyclists and walkers. Also known as Garmouth Viaduct, it includes a 350ft-long wrought-iron lattice bow girder span over the main channel of the river. After the railway closed to passengers in 1968 and freight in 1971 and the tracks were lifted from the viaduct, it was considered too costly and dangerous to dismantle. Later paved, it became part of the National Cycle Network’s NCN1 route. The structure is now maintained by Moray Council purely as a…

DECEMBER 20 was an emotional day for many as Pathfinder Railtours ran its final outing, bringing the curtain down on more than half a century of service. Setting out from Salisbury behind a pair of West Coast Railways Class 57s, upon arrival at Gloucester, Class 52 D1015 Western Champion took over for the remainder of the journey to Manchester Victoria. To mark the occasion, the Western temporarily became D1001 Western Pathfinder in tribute to the firm and carried a headboard, the design of which was inspired by that carried on classmate D1023 Western Fusilier on February 12, 1977, during the ‘Western Finale’ railtour as the class was withdrawn from BR service. Based in Stroud, Pathfinder’s origins stretch back to 1973. Established by enthusiasts Tony Fielding and Peter Watts, the company…

RENOWNED for its GWR Castle class-worked excursions, railtour operator Vintage Trains will once again be giving enthusiasts an opportunity to enjoy the sound of steam working hard up the West Coast Main Line – this time with Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado set to tackle Shap without diesel assistance. Since its main line operating contract with West Coast Railways was terminated in July, as reported in Heritage railway issue 336, new-build Tornado has predominantly been seen on heritage lines and at Hopetown Darlington, where The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust is based. Following a large gap after the announcement of this parting of ways with WCR, the A1’s most recent outing was on December 10 with Tyseley-based Vintage Trains and the ‘Christmas White Rose’ to York, and a further tour…

January 17 ‘Remembering Rosemary’ Hastings, Windsor & Eton Riverside, and return. DEMU: 1001. HD 24 ‘The Peak Blinder’ Norwich, Chesterfield, and return. Loco: 45118 The Royal Artilleryman. UKRT 31 ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ Manchester Piccadilly, Carlisle, and return. Steam-hauled throughout. Loco: TBA. RTC 31 ‘The Sale of the Century’ Derby, Shildon, and return. Loco: HST Nos. 43094 + 43122. UKRT February 7 ‘Cumbrian Mountain Express’ Euston, Carlisle, and return. Steamhauled between Carnforth (outward) and Preston (return). Loco: Steam: TBA. Electric: 86259 Les Ross. RTC 12 Bath excursion London Victoria, Bath, and return. Diesel-hauled throughout. Loco: TBA. BEL 12 ‘The Positioning Move’ Crewe to Euston only. Electric-hauled throughout. Loco: TBA. ST 12 ‘The Fearless Express’ Euston, Milton Keynes, and return. Loco: 50050 Fearless. ST 12 ‘The Cumbrian Mountaineer’ Crewe, Carlisle, and return.…

As true as it is to say that without your trains, you have no railway, such a phrase can also apply to track and infrastructure. From the signalling that controls the movement right the way down to the sleepers on which rails sit, these are all part of the jigsaw of running and maintaining a heritage railway. Without one, you cannot have the other. We have witnessed many substantial project undertakings in these areas over the last few years, with bridges having been a predominant focus. The Keighley & Worth Valley Railway undertook a £1.25 million renewal of Bridge 27 at Haworth in its biggest ever civil engineering project, while the North Yorkshire Moors Railway replaced one of these structures (coincidentally No. 27A) at Grosmont station. Recent repairs to bridges…

THE LMS doubled up in a vintage poster sale held by Onslows on December 5 with first and third place medals, although the LNER also got onto the podium by gaining the runner-up slot. Gold at £2350 went to a poster by Bryan de Grineau (1883-1957) that was issued by the LMS in 1937 to promote the company’s Royal Scot class and the eponymous London-Glasgow express. Central to the poster was No. 6110 Grenadier Guardsman speeding past another WCML express, watched by passengers on the other train. In second place was a Scarborough poster by Austin Cooper (1890-1964), which was issued by the LNER circa 1935 and sold for £710. The third-placed poster, which fetched £510, illustrated a north west England lakeside scene and was commissioned from Freda Marston (1895-1949)…

IT was visits to his local heritage railway that sparked Geordie Brown’s interest in trains. More than a decade later, Geordie is now one of the young volunteers helping to keep that very same railway on track. “We used to visit various heritage railways around the country, on a weekend and when on holiday, particularly the Middleton Railway. I spent years growing up around trains,” said Geordie. There is no doubt that in later years, when Geordie became a young volunteer at the Middleton, believed to be the world’s oldest continuously running railway, it helped pave the way for the railway career he is now pursuing as an engineering apprentice, working on Intercity 225s at Northern Trains’ Neville Hill train maintenance depot, just east of Leeds station. Geordie was 15…

A PAIR of industrial locomotives and the launch of a new carriage was a winning combination at the South Devon Railway as its winter steam gala resulted in record revenue for an event of its type. Taking place on January 2-4, the event rounded off what has been a positive 12 months for the line which, despite seeing a small drop in passenger footfall, has experienced a rise in revenue thanks to the introduction of high-value extras, such as dining experiences aboard recently overhauled Pullman car Lydia, and another successful season of Polar Express services in the run-up to Christmas. The steam gala has established itself as a new fixture in the line’s event calendar, making use of GWR 2800 class 2-8-0 No. 2807 which, for the second consecutive year,…

LNER A3 Pacific No. 60103 Flying Scotsman is to break new ground with two bookings for Midlands-based events in the weeks ahead. During February half-term, the legendary locomotive will head an early run of Vintage Trains’ annual ‘Shakespeare Express’ series from Birmingham to Stratford-upon-Avon and back. Valentine’s Day, Saturday February 14, will offer the first-ever opportunity to ride behind Scotsman from Birmingham city centre. The day will see it haul three return Valentine’s Shakespeare Express’ services, providing a two-hour express train experience, with the option of either brunch, afternoon tea or a three-course evening dinner in authentic luxury Pullman cars or seating in tourist class cars with large picture windows by every seat, During the following school half-term, on Wednesday 18th, Thursday 19th and Friday 20th, Scotsman will haul five…

IN partner ship with Stockton & Darlington 200, LNER has launched a specially commissioned poem and video to mark the bicentenary of the world’s first modern train. Written by Darlington poet Lizzie Lovejoy, We Will Carry You˜weaves together themes of connection, community and journeys. To accompany the poem, LNER has also commissioned a short film by North Yorkshire-based videographer Alex Brown, bringing Lizzie’s words to life and capturing the spirit, heritage, and human stories of rail travel past and present. The video also reflects on LNER’s partnership with Bradford as UK City of Culture 2025, and the launch this year of additional services to and from the city, highlighting rail’s role in connecting people with culture and opportunity. LNER has played a central role in Railway 200, honouring the legacy…

DOZENS of spectators turned out to watch the final trip made by a Great Western Railway InterCity 125 High Speed Train as the Castle class was withdrawn after 49 years of service The last service was a round trip specially laid on from Plymouth to Penzance on December 31 in anticipation of extra public interest. The trip was hauled by Class 43s Nos. 43198/093 and called at Par only, while other services on the last day ran from Exeter St Davids to Penzance and Par to Newquay. Introduced in 1976, the iconic HSTs, comprising Class 43 power cars and Mk. 3 coaches, were the mainstay of InterCity services across the country. However, following the introduction of the InterCity Express Trains, these ‘two and eight’ formation trains stopped operating on long-distance…

TWO former GWR routes will be sharing their locomotives for a pair of steam galas to help evoke memories of branch line days of old. First off, Llangollen Railway resident 0-6-0PT No. 7754 is due to appear at the East Somerset Railway’s spring steam weekend on March 14/15. Built by the North British Locomotive Company in 1930, No. 7754 is regarded as the LR Trust’s flagship locomotive. Withdrawn by BR in 1959, it was sold to the National Coal Board, following which it was first employed at Talywain Colliery in South Wales, later being moved to Mountain Ash colliery. The last of its class in industrial service, it was retired in 1975 after blowing off a cylinder cover, after which it was donated to the National Museum of Wales. The…

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s plan to run winter Whitby services in the days following Christmas were cancelled in early December when the decision was made to bring forward planned bridge repair works at Grosmont, which have isolated the line’s motive power depot from the rest of the railway. In November, the railway announced it was planning to run steam services between Grosmont and Whitby stations, while trains on the heritage line towards Pickering were set to feature North Eastern Railway petrol-electric autocar No. 3170, which is making a return visit from the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. However, on December 13, a subsequent announcement confirmed that the steam services across the Esk Valley line to the coast were suspended after an interim inspection of a bridge at Grosmont…

THE end of 2025 saw the Telford Steam Railway bid farewell to GWR 0-6-2T No. 5619, which bowed out of service and now requires overhaul. Sunday, December 28 saw the line host a Winter Warmer day featuring Class 37 No. 37263, Class 08 No. 08784, visiting from the Great Central Railway (Nottingham), and Collett No. 5619, which had also marked the centenary of its construction at Swindon in 1925. The gala followed a successful season of Polar Express trains, during which the locomotive took the number 1225, the identity of Pere Maruette N-1 class 2-8-4 which featured in the festive film. Although the term ‘Taffy’ tank is perhaps most commonly associated with the Taff Vale Railway Class 02 0-6-2Ts, the 5600 class was also known by this nickname owing to…

ASSEMBLY of a new boiler for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Sharp Stewart B 0-4-0ST No. 19B – the only locomotive from the line outside India – has begun at the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways’ award-winning Boston Lodge Works. The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust, which was formed in 2023 to acquire the locomotive, also numbered 778, and its two replica carriages from the estate of the late Adrian Shooter had first hoped that the boiler – the oldest still in use on a locomotive anywhere in the world – could be repaired for another 10-year ticket. Following a competitive tendering process, the contract for the new boiler was awarded to Boston Lodge. Trust chairman Jeremy Davey said: “This meant up to another £100,000 was required over initial £140,000 boiler repair estimates.…

AN appeal for funds to assist with the vital weatherproofing of a Class 315 EMU met its target within just four days. The AC Multiple Unit Society, formed in 2025 following the merger of the Clacton Express Preservation Group and the Class 315 Preservation Society, is custodian of two Class 309s and one Class 317 driving trailer, plus complete Class 313 and 315 EMUs, which are sited at multiple locations in England and Wales. The four-car Class 315 No. 315856 is based at the Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway in South Wales, where it arrived in 2023 following the class’s withdrawal from service on the Liverpool Street to Southend route in December 2022. Although volunteer efforts have sought to maintain the units, as they now permanently live outdoors, the weather…

AN illustrated panel celebrating the work of civil engineer George Overton, who played key roles in the seeds of what evolved into early steam railways, was unveiled on the towpath of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal on December 8, marking the 250th anniversary of his birth. Overton’s expertise in civil engineering helped shape transport infrastructure in South Wales during the Industrial Revolution. He pioneered tramroads in the 19th century and is renowned for building the˜Penydarren˜Tramroad at Merthyr Tydfil in 1802, on which Richard Trevithick˜gave the world’s first public˜demonstration of a steam railway locomotive in 1804. Said to have been born in 1775 at Cleobury Mortimer, in Herefordshire, he moved to Merthyr Tydfil and worked on the new 4ft 2in gauge Dowlais Tramroad linking Dowlais Ironworks to the Glamorganshire Canal, with…

DELTIC Preservation Society engineers have successfully started Napier power unit No. 430 after 44 years of dormancy. The unit was one of five bought by the DPS in 1982 as a float of spare units for the two Class 55 Deltics it purchased that year, Nos. 55009 Alycidon and 55019 Royal Highland Fusilier. A third, No. 55015 Tulyar, was acquired in 1986. No. 430 was last operational in Class 55 Deltic 55008 The Green Howards, when the locomotive’s final train was the 1E48 9.20pm Aberdeen to King’s Cross (from Edinburgh) on December 29, 1981. No. 55008 was booked to work the final day on December 31 on the 2.03pm King’s Cross-York but flat batteries resulted in it staying on Finsbury Park depot, never to run again. Power unit No. 430…

THE genteel Kent town of Tunbridge Wells – which is so thoroughly English that in 1909 it was granted royal status by King Edward VII – will reverberate to the joys of Scottish culture on January 24 when the birthday of one of most revered icons north of the border, poet and lyricist Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns, will be celebrated in true Burns Night style. That culture will be an integral part of an evening organised by the Spa Valley Railway, to include a piper performing traditional Scottish classics with support from a fiddler and accordionist, and the supply of what many understandably regard as Scotland’s greatest export – a dram or two of whisky. And as if such attractions aren’t enough for railway enthusiasts, there is the bonus of a…

TWO veteran Motor Rail Simplex diesels are being retro-fitted on the Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway for significant anniversaries in 2026. Both may be older than their official build dates and will be seen in widely varying appearances. This year will be the 110th anniversary of Bedford-based Motor Rail’s first construction of its legendary Simplex locomotives – petrol powered then – produced for the War Department Light Railway’s narrow gauge lines in the First World War battlefields. No. 3995 Paul is having its metal body restored to the condition created by a metalworking firm on Grimsby Docks – more used to dealing with trawlers and the fishing industry. It pulled the world’s first passenger service on a heritage railway to be built by enthusiasts on a greenfield site, from Humberston North…

THE Greatest Gathering’s official artwork - a large oil painting by Tim O’Brien, the artist in residence at Alstom’s award-winning event, went on display for the first time on December 8. It was unveiled by Pete Waterman OBE after it was announced that the August 1-3 event raised more than £100,000 for good causes, including five chosen charities and more than 50 participating railway heritage organisations. The painting proudly sits below a large aluminium train headboard - designed, manufactured and finished for the festival by Chesterfield-based Newton Castings - in J shop; a large, open-plan office space situated at the heart of Alstom’s 90-acre site at Litchurch Lane, Derby. Earlier in the day, Alstom also took part in a time capsule burial ceremony, with representatives fro Derby Colleg an Railway…

VINTAGE Trains’ spring and summer ‘Shakespeare Express’ season will return with an expanded timetable featuring authentic 1950s Pullman dining and 1960s First Class services under a The Year of the Journey theme for 2026, celebrating travel as an experience in itself. The concept showcases the idea that the experience of travel is as important as the destination. Services run at express speeds, allowing passengers to experience the rhythm and pace of steam era travel on the modern network. The timetable features morning departures from Birmingham Snow Hill, Birmingham Moor Street and Tyseley, offering about four-and-a-half hours in Stratford-upon-Avon. A dedicated afternoon First Class service operates on select Sundays, departing Birmingham Snow Hill at 2.07pm and arriving in Stratford at 3.10pm, with afternoon tea served throughout. The ‘Shakespeare Pullman’ runs in…

THE itinerary for the Railway Touring Company’s‘ ’Great Britain XVIII,’ which will run on April 18-25, has been released. The tour starts at Paddington early on the Saturday morning, heading to Slough and Reading, from where it will take the Berks & Hants line through Newbury, Westbury and Castle Cary, joining the Bristol to Plymouth route at Cogload Junction, near Taunton, for a challenging climb to Whiteball Summit. It will run via Exeter and the Dawlish sea wall to Teignmouth and Newton Abbot, tackling the South Devon banks while heading to Plymouth. Crossing the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash, it heads for Penzance for the first overnight stop. On Sunday, April 19, the ‘Great Britain’ heads to Taunton and Bristol, taking the Severn Tunnel to Newport and then the Welsh…

A SELECTION of four-figure realisations was among the highlights of a model train sale held by Vectis on November 26/27, with BR leading the way and the GWR in close pursuit. No. 70000 Britannia topped the list at £1400 with an O-gauge model made by 55H of York, ahead of another O-gauge locomotive, a Lee Marsh Models of Fife GWR 2-6-2T No. 6101 (£1300), and a Sancheng of China O-gauge No. 6000 King George V that went for £1100. Sancheng made a second entry into the upper reaches of the auction with £850 for a gauge one (45mm) GWR 4-6-0 No. 4983 Albert Hall, behind which were two realisations of £540, for a Bassett-Lowke O-gauge No. 6232 Duchess of Montrose and a Golden Age of Swanage A4 Pacific No. 60022…

MODELLERS passing through Sheffield will be able to stop off and pick up model railway supplies without having to stray too far following the opening of Rails of Sheffield’s new station shop. Having established itself in 1970 on Chesterfield Road, where it could be found trading from the rear of a grocery store, the subsequent growth of the business sees it today employ more than 60 members of staff, commission a variety of exclusive models (see other stories on these pages), and has now enabled this second store to be opened in the heart of the city, close to the station’s taxi rank. Rails’ marketing and content manager, Jack Morgan, said: “Our new location started strong during our grand opening weekend, with thousands of visitors coming through the doors on…

In August, the Nene Valley Railway took delivery of a NIQTEQ mini mover which had been donated by Trackwork Limited at Hornsey rail depot in Haringey. Intended to be put to use on small shunting duties, less than four months later it was on the road once more as it set off for the National Railway Museum in York. A product of Netherlands-based engineering firm NIQTEC, the mini mover is one of the E series electric locomotives designed with a capability of moving up to 1200 tons and can be operated remotely. Despite initial hopes of it providing an economical alternative to using a diesel locomotive for small shunting operations, it was ultimately found not to suit the NVR’s requirements. However, rather than dump it in a siding and let…

THE Aln Valley Railway is to commemorate 60 years since the end of steam on the Alnwick branch with a special event on June 20/21. In service will be the appropriately numbered Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST NCB No. 60, which was delivered new in January 1949 to the National Coal Board for the Lambton Railway, Philadelphia, County Durham. The cab was modified to allow the locomotive to work through narrow tunnels to coal staithes at Sunderland, and may be the only surviving steam locomotive with this modification. Bought in June 1976 by Stephen Wood, it was moved to the Strathspey and returned to steam in 1980 following a heavy overhaul at Ian Storey’s workshop at Hepscott, near Morpeth. There, the heavy overhaul and boiler repairs were completed, and No. 60 arrived…

FORMER Bargain Hunt presenter David Dickinson and his team of antique dealers are to visit STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway on Saturday, January 17 to film a new episode for Dickinson’s Real Deals. The public are invited to bring along their antiques, collectables, and hidden treasures to find out what they are worth. The free event runs from 8am until 5pm, and visitors have no obligation to sell anything they bring for valuation.…

THE Mid-Hants Railway has become the first UK heritage line to welcome Class 150 DMU into its fleet, the unit arriving just in time for Christmas. No. 150231 was donated by Porterbrook at the start of Alstom’s The Greatest Gathering last August, and it will enable the railway to improve its current timetables by offering an earlier departure from Alton, where heritage services meets main line trains from Waterloo. Built in 1987, the Class 150 is part of the ‘Sprinter’ family, a new generation of trains introduced by BR in the 1980s to replace first-generation DMUs, which had themselves first appeared in the 1950s and 1960s and deemed too uneconomical to refurbish. BR looked at two styles of trains, one being the lightweight four-wheeled railbus style ‘Pacer’ type (which predominantly…

JANUARY blues were confidently being kept at bay on New Year’s Day thanks to the Bluebell Railway’s mini gala which made full use of some of the stars at its disposal. A four-strong locomotive line-up meant there was plenty of steam to enjoy, with the vibrant red livery of WR modified Hall 4-6-0 No. 6989 Wightwick Hall helping brighten the mood of anyone suffering from the post-Christmas lull. The locomotive is currently between filming duties for the television adaptation of the Harry Potter novels, which is being produced by HBO and has seen it repainted in red to fulfil the role of the Hogwarts Express. Joining the Hall on full line trips was SR Battle of Britain class 4-6-2 No. 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair, which carried a pair of golden…

SWANAGE Railway volunteers who look after five stations on the line have scooped 10 awards for floral and neighbourhood excellence in a regional competition. Swanage, Herston, Harman’s Cross, Corfe Castle and Norden each received two Stations In Bloom awards from the South and South East in Bloom organisation, with one of the It’s Your Neighbourhood awards for each station being sponsored by the Royal Horticultural Society. Other awards went to local councils and communities for large towns, cemeteries, gardens, beach fronts and community projects in Dorset, east Wiltshire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Sussex, Surrey and Kent. One of the competition judges, Derek Beer, from Shaftesbury, said: “The five SR stations were flagship entries involving horticulture, community involvement and environmental activity. Four of the stations justifiably achieved the highest possible…

DECEMBER 12 was an historic moment in DMU preservation when efforts to create an operational Class 104 two-car unit brought about a test run along the whole of the North Norfolk Railway - the first time that a power and trailer car formation has operated since the class was withdrawn Network South East 36 years ago. The sole-surviving Class 104 Driving Trailer Second Lavatory No. 56182 has been operational on the line since late 2023. Its nine-and-a-half-year restoration was nominated for the Railcar Association’s railcar of the year award, where it scooped second place. With no operational second car from the class available, it has run coupled to one of the NNR’s many other DMU trailers. In the meantime, father-and-son team Paul and Chris Moxon, who completed the majority of…

THE Lynton and Barnstaple Railway has featured in a special event in the Train Station mobile games from the Pixel Federation, bringing the line to a global audience and raising more than £30,000 for it. The Pixel Federation, a computer games company based in Slovakia, hosts players worldwide. When players of its Train Station games were asked which locomotive they would like to feature next, they chose new-build Baldwin 2-4-2T No. 762 Lyn, on the L&B. The company approached the L&BR Trust last summer to collaborate on a charity initiative launched in November, its Save the Rails campaign including Lyn. As a result, 250,000 monthly players worldwide could download Lyn in the Train Station 2 and 3 games, generating a cash windfall for the trust. It is the first time…

THE latest locomotives from the late Peter Rampton’s Collection X have arrived at the Vale of Rheidol Railway’s museum in Aberystwyth. South African Railways NG15 ‘Kalahari’ 2-8-2 No. 121, built by Societe Anglo-France-Belge in 1950, arrived from Surrey by low-loader on December 17. Peter, who had long admired the type, successfully tendered for it in 1993 when it was shipped to the UK and delivered to his Surrey farm. No. 121 is a sister to No. 134, which has been restored by the Welsh Highland Railway Society and made its first appearance in public service on the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway on June 7/8 last year, and has also been officially named Kalahari. Not a Collection X locomotive, No. 134 was initially brought over from South Africa for a…

A BARCLAY 0-4-0ST has been returned to static display in Fife’s Lochore Meadows Country Park, near Longelly, following cosmetic restoration. No. 2259 of 1949 National Coal Board Fife Area No. 30 worked at Frances Colliery at Dysart in Fife. Out of use in the 1970s, it was sold to Fife Regional Council after 1982 and plinthed in the 1200-acre park beside Loch Ore which encompasses the site of the former Glencraig Colliery site. In July 2021, the locomotive was taken to Smeaton Engineering in Kirkcaldy for cosmetic restoration. Originally scheduled to be reinstated on November 19 as part of the new mining heritage display launch, No. 30 was returned to storage due to technical issues with lifting equipment. Smeaton Services Fife Ltd successfully brought it back to the country park…

With the hugely successful nationwide Railway 200 celebrations based on the bicentenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway which, on September 27,1825, ran the world’s first modern train, that occasion was in itself the watershed moment in the evolution of steam transport technology that began more than two decades before, in the Midlands, for it is in Coalbrookdale (and shortly afterwards Bridgnorth) that the invention of self-propelled railways took root. Ironbridge Gorge is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the priceless Coalbrookdale collection of museums at Ironbridge are located where the Industrial Revolution began in the late 18th century. The museums are not specifically about railways, and while they appeal to a far wider audience, there is plenty to keep the railway enthusiast occupied -especially when the replica of…

ON Saturday, May 16, Steam Dreams will run a tour from Kent to Bath featuring unique BR Standard Class 8 Pacific No. 71000 Duke of Gloucester. Starting from Ashford International diesel-hauled, the route towards the capital will be the South Eastern Main Line, picking up at Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, before turning onto the Chatham Main Line for the next passenger pick-up at Bromley South. Negotiating South London and heading north-west to cross the River Thames, the tour is bound for West London for a change of locomotive from diesel to steam. From here, the tour will head over the Great Western Main Line for the final passenger pick-up at Maidenhead and then head to Bath, arriving in the early afternoon. Passengers will have three-and-a-half hours to explore the spa city…

We’ve all been there. You’ve set yourself up for that perfect shot… but someone has stepped into your framing. To many, this completely writes off the planned photograph - but for others, it opens up a new opportunity for something different. There is no denying that for railway photographers, the stars are usually what’s on the rails. Whether it is trying to recreate a shot from five decades ago, capturing a vista of a train in a stunning landscape, or simply practising a ‘bog-standard’ shot as you hone your skills, it is all too easy to become entranced by your choice of traction, ditching matters should the stock or light be wrong. All too often, we photographers can overlook what is at the heart of our heritage railway movement: people.…

Railway photographic charters are nothing new and have been a feature of the heritage railway scene for a good 35 years. They have their origins in being able to bring an element of control into railway photography to maximise the chances of getting a good shot, particularly if weather conditions are variable. They also offer the opportunity to get photographs of a subject – such as a freight train – or a location you wouldn’t normally be able to gain access to during a typical running day or gala. In the main, steam has dominated the photographic charter market, but the East Midlands Railway Photographic Society (EMRPS), led by Jason Cross, pioneered the diesel photographic charter scene on heritage railways and were particularly active from 2001 to 2022. I joined…

N GAUGE modellers of the Eastern Region were also given a treat in the run-up to Christmas when Dapol revealed decorated samples of its LNER B17 4-6-0s – and confirmed that models should be arriving on doorsteps in the latter half of 2026. The B17 was a class of 4-6-0 locomotives designed by Sir Nigel Gresley for passenger haulage on the Great Eastern Main Lines, with the first entering service in 1928. In all, 73 were built and continued into service until the early 1960s. There were many amendments and upgrades to the class during its lifetime, including a streamlined version. Many were named after football teams and so the design was commonly referred to as ‘Footballers,’ although they were also known as the ‘Sandringham’ class after the name applied…

SOUTH EAST Amberley Museum 2ft gauge, ¼ mile. Arundel, West Sussex. Tel: 01798 831370. Open: Weds & W/Es from Jan 22. Bluebell Railway Standard gauge, 11 miles. Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Running: Feb 14-22. Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway 2ft gauge, ½ mile. Bredgar, Sittingbourne, Kent. Tel: 01622 884254. Running: Jan 24, Weds from Feb 18. Chatham Historic Dockyard Standard gauge, one mile. Chatham, Kent. Tel: 01634 820800. Open: Weds-Suns from Feb 12. East Kent Railway Standard gauge, two miles. Shepherdswell, Kent. Tel: 01304 832042. Running: Suns from Mar 24. Eastleigh Lakeside Railway 10¼in & 7¼in gauge, 1¼ miles. Running: W/Es, sch hols. Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway 12¼in gauge, 1½ miles. Exbury, Southampton. Tel: 023 8089 1203. Reopens March 7, 2026. Hayling Light Railway…

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway will experiment with something new this year when it plays host to Waggon & Maschinenbau four-wheel railbus No. 79963, which is visiting from the East Anglian Railway Museum during June. The original MSLR was exclusively steam powered and thus never saw a diesel locomotive ever haul a revenue-earning train, freight or passenger, in all its 48 years of operation. Had it survived a little longer, then it may well have seen one of these railbuses trialled, as they were on so many branches in East Anglia. “Supposing British Railways had indulged in a little crystal ball gazing and tried out one these ‘new fangled’ machines already in use in many continental railways – could it have been the saving of the branch?” an MSLR spokesman pondered.…