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THE fabulous new Celebrating The Railway Rockstars Of The Past exhibition now running in Hopetown Darlington says it all. A replica of the first steam railway locomotive to run in public, one of a valiant attempt to take the concept further and, yes, the original Locomotion No. 1 which headed the first-ever steam-hauled passenger train 200 years ago. Innovation began with inspiration, never stopped rolling on flanged wheels, made history, and changed the world forever. However, thanks to the heritage sector, the steam era has never ended, despite BR’s ban on steam haulage imposed in 1968. A short hop to the far side of the Hopetown site brings you to the new purpose-built headquarters and workshop of The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust which, hopefully, will soon be connected to the…
LOCOMOTION No. 1 – which hauled the world’s first modern passenger-carrying train over the Stockton & Darlington Railway on September 27, 1825 – has returned to celebrate the bicentenary of the globe-changing event. Designed by ‘the Father of the Railways’ George Stephenson and constructed by his son Robert at his Newcastle-upon-Tyne locomotive building works and initially named Active, Locomotion No.1 is now on display at the multiple award-winning Hopetown-Darlington attraction, where the Celebrating The Railway Rockstars Of The Past exhibition opened on April 4 and runs until June 22. The free exhibition which, as reported last issue, also features replicas of two other classic locomotives – Penydarren, designed by Richard Trevithick in 1804, and borrowed from the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea, and Beamish Museum’s Steam Elephant, designed by John…
THE West Somerset Railway’s May 2-5 spring steam gala will see up to 11 locomotives in action, with previously announced guests and home fleet locomotives being joined by new-build GWR Saint 4-6-0 No. 2999 Lady of Legend, which will stay on the line until August – and for just one weekend only, it will adopt the guise of a long-lost classmate which will be decided by public vote. Event organiser Seb Walsh said: “Between our four gala team members, we can’t decide between the many options for suitable names, so we will be putting a Facebook poll together with four options so our followers can vote for their preferred name. “The name and numberplates for the most popular name option will be ordered and the loco will run as this…
THE Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s BR Standard 4MT 2-6-4T No. 80080 is to be loaned to the North Norfolk Railway for five years. NNR general manager Graham Hukins said:“The class is probably the ideal heritage railway locomotive, and I am sure the engine will be well-suited to our day-to-day services, dining trains, and special trains such as the Norfolk Lights Express, and it will also be a popular performer at our special events. The locomotive is scheduled to arrive in late May and will be an extremely useful addition to the fleet. I know when classmates have visited in the past, they have proved popular with crews, visitors and photographers alike.” On March 31, the 4MT arrived back at Butterley from the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, where it has been on…
TWO examples of ground-breaking 21st century traction are to be the special guests for the Severn Valley Railway’s Trains Through The Ages Railway 200 celebration on July 5/6. Returning for another visit to the line will be new-build A1 Peppercorn Pacific No. 61063 Tornado, which in a world-first has been fitted with European Train Control System digital technology and, as reported in Main Line News, page 52, has not only just been passed for main line running, but has also been booked for the Railway Touring Company’s imminent ‘Great Britain XVII’ land cruise, ending the locomotive’s three-year absence from commercial operations on the network. Tornado, which was completed in 2008 and which on April 12, 2017, set a new heritage sector record by reaching a speed of 101mph on the…
THE Severn Valley Railway is currently in discussions with insurers about repairs for the major landslip at Mor Brook bridge on January 29 and has raised hopes that repairs could be completed by the summer. As reported in Heritage Railway issue 329, the slippage forced the closure of the northernmost section of the line, isolating its Bridgnorth terminus. SVR managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster said: “We’ve had several site meetings with the loss adjusters. They are considering the situation and will decide whether we have a valid claim. Even if they decide we do have a claim, the railway will have to pay a large excess. “We are incredibly grateful to supporters who have donated £125,000 since we broke the news of the landslip. This will play an essential role…
