Heritage Railway

THIS year we have commemorated a low point in the annals of UK heritage traction, the eradication of steam from the main line and its scrapping en masse 50 years ago. There were many observers who believed back in 1968 that with the passing of a gene

By Brian Sharpe DAVID COLLIER BRIAN SHARPE BRIAN SHARPE ONLY a select few heritage railways are able to run a complete train of one of Britain’s pre-Grouping railway companies. One that can is the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway with its Caledonian Railwa

THE Llangollen Railway ran the last public service train of the 2018 season with commemorative bilingual headboard and flags, to mark the end of four years of successful operations to the Phase 1 temporary platform at Dwyrain Corwen East. Fittingly,

By Dick Wood JOHN BRODRIBB/SDR JOHN BRODRIBB/SDR TOTNES IMAGE BANK THE South Devon Railway has run a special train to commemorate the last BR services on the GWR Ashburton branch 60 years to the day. Regular timetabled passenger trains on the 10-mil

THE Churnet Valley Railway has gained a key foothold in its bid to extend into Leek town centre by rebuilding the former‘interchange’station at Leek Brook Junction. Using grants from Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and Peak Leader, which hel

By Jonathan Webb JONATHAN WEBB NOVEMBER 5 saw the Heritage Railway-backed project to re-create an LMS Patriot class take a significant leap forward, with the boiler being lowered into the frames of No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior at Crewe Heritage Cent

By Robin Jones BRIAN SHARPE THE railway sector has paid tribute to Railway Touring Company founder Nigel Dobbing, who passed away in hospital following an illness on October 14 at the age of 66. Nigel, a father, brother and grandfather, died in the

By Gareth Evans JOHN FAULKNER A 107-YEAR-OLD tram has been gifted to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway and is now on display at Havenstreet station. The standard gauge vehicle is the only surviving example of a tram built by Pollard and Sons, carriage

By Gareth Evans GARETH EVANS THE Mid-Hants Railway Preservation Society has moved its‘Black Five’ No. 45379 to Locomotive Storage Ltd.’s undercover facility in Margate, Kent. The 4-6-0’s boiler certificate expired on September 9. The MHRPS confirmed

Words and pictures by Brian Sharpe THE Elsecar Heritage Railway leads a relatively low-key existence, rarely making the headlines, but in a unique collaboration with local university students, during the autumn the line played host to a former main

By Jonathan Webb and Robin Jones FRANK DUMBLETON THE Great Western Society is gearing up for its 60th anniversary in 2021 and has announced that Collett 0-4-2T No. 1466 is to be overhauled in time for the big event. The locomotive was the first to b

By Geoff Courtney GEOFF COURTNEY A PRESERVED LNER-designed EMU that gave more than three decades’service with BR on busy trains between the commuter belt of Essex and London’s Liverpool Street station, faces a new lease of life after its transfer fr

By Gareth Evans VOR VOR THE reinvigoration of the Vale of Rheidol Railway has reached another stage – with the announcement that passenger facilities are to be significantly enhanced at the line’s Aberystwyth terminus. Titled ‘Wales to the World’, t

By Robin Jones CHRIS LIVINGS FRED KERR FRED KERR NICK GILLIAM FRED KERR ELSR DEEP in Southern Railway territory, there seems to be nothing like an LNER Pacific for drawing the crowds. That fact was brought home big time to the Bluebell Railway when

WR 4-6-0 No. 6989 Wightwick Hall was rolled out into the sunshine for the first time after being fully lined out in readiness for its debut in Buckinghamshire Railway Centre traffic next year. The occasion was a special memorial event, Dennis Brynley

By Cedric Johns MARK V PIKE ANDREW PM WRIGHT THE Purbeck Hills resounded with the sound of working steam when the Swanage Railway fired up eight locomotives to take part in its successful autumn gala held on October 12-14. Fielding an impressive lin

By Peter Elson VIGNOLES VIGNOLES MANY people struggle to find a vocation in life, but seven-year-old Stephen Done had a very clear vision of his future career path. He made this momentous announcement to his mother one day in the family’s kitchen st

By Geoff Courtney ANDRE FREEMAN TRANSPORT TREASURY GEOFF COURTNEY THE restoration of one of the GWR landmark diesel railcars that were the trailblazers for the modern DMUs will soon be entering its fifth decade – but volunteers on the project are de

By Paul Stratford MALCOLM RANIERI TRIBUTES have been paid to Malcolm Ranieri, one of Britain’s top lineside photographers, who was found dead at his Stratford-upon-Avon home. The discovery was made by friend and fellow photographer Andrew Bell on Oc

By Cedric Johns RODNEY TOWERS DON BISHOP WHEN Saphos Trains, operated by Jeremy Hoskings’ Locomotive Services (TOC) Limited entered the railtour business earlier this year, the market was taken aback by the low-cost ticket prices on offer. The gener

By Geoff Courtney ROBERT SMALLMAN. J W SUTHERLAND COLLECTION MARTIN STANIFORTH THE newest resident at the Spa Valley Railway was put to work within days of its arrival in mid-October, handling trains packed with thirsty visitors eager to sample the

Words and pictures By Phil Marsh OCTOBER 20 saw a WR Hawksworth pannier tank haul a very special main line memorial train from London to the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway. As reported in issue 246, the train, headed by No. 9466, was organised

By Robin Jones BR THE Bluebell Railway’s new interactive locomotive exhibition, SteamWorks! is now open Andrew Blessley, a Heritage Lottery Fund South-East committee member, and the Bluebell’s Roger Kelly, threw open the doors of the attraction on O

By George Jones GEORGE JONES A HERITAGE signalbox cabin was lifted into its new position at the Llangollen Railway’s Corwen Central station site on October 25, adding a new dimension to the operational facilities being brought to the extension proje

THE Nene Valley Railway is to hold a Southern steam gala over the weekend of March 9-10, featuring Schools 4-4-0 Repton from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. No. 926 will join resident Southern Bulleid Battle of Britain light Pacific No. 34081 92 S

Stephenson’s Rocket is a household name, like Flying Scotsman. Rainhill Trials winner Rocket became the blueprint for all future steam locomotive development, 25 years after Richard Trevithick gave the first demonstration of a railway locomotive. Bot

A UNIQUE visit from a Swiss engine, along with an appearance by Welsh singing superstar Dame Shirley Bassey DBE boosted visitor numbers to the Snowdon Mountain Railway this season, the Llanberis-based line has said. Brienz Rothorn Bahn No.2 travelled

Fifty years ago, on January 6, 1969 one of the most bitterly-opposed railway closures occurred. This was the Waverley Route, the main line through the Scottish Borders linking Carlisle with Edinburgh. The axing of the 98-mile route was considered to

In 1821 a parliamentary bill was passed to allow the building of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The 25-mile line was constructed to connect collieries near Bishop Auckland to the River Tees at Stockton, passing through Darlington. The original

By Cedric Johns GARETH EVANS STOPPED for repairs, Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado has been taken out of traffic until the end of the year after it failed during its 90mph scheduled run with the‘Ebor Flyer’on April 14. In a statement issued b

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to drive a steam locomotive? If so, I would urge you to have a go if you get the chance, as it really is an unforgettable experience. I enjoy getting my hands dirty and love getting out and about. When it was sug

By Cedric Johns HARRY COYNE WITH approximately 90% of its railtours hauled by diesels – and at this time of year, not following the trend of Christmas specials – it is perhaps surprising that Pathfinder Tours’final excursion of 2018 will use steam t

The pictures in issue 247 of recently-overhauled Jubilee Bahamas in BR green guise really took me back to 1961, a time when rail news arrived at least two months late courtesy of Trains Illustrated or The Railway Magazine. In mid-July that year, I wa

By Cedric Johns LENNY BARKER PHIL MARSH PHIL MARSH BEN SCOTT SOLD out two weeks after its announcement, Steam Dreams’King’s Cross-York‘Alan Pegler Farewell’special hauled by Flying Scotsman was, by popular passenger accord, a fitting tribute to the

With ‘steam in my blood’ I was keen to get to the Bluebell Railway in my younger days. In 1979, I managed to get to Horsted Keynes village by bus as I had no car. It did not occur to me that the station would not be anywhere near the village. I foll

AS WE approach the start of‘Santa season’, it can be an exciting yet sometimes stressful period, depending on the nature of your involvement with the railway heritage sector. There’s undoubtedly a great‘buzz’around heritage railways – both in terms o

THE East Lancashire Railway’s three-day autumn steam gala held on October 19-21 offered a wide selection of motive power large and small. The timetable ranged from the mighty elegance of No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland, to delightful resident stalwart

THE South Devon banks have always held a fascination for me, even though I didn’t venture there in the real days of steam. I did however, time a number of trains between Exeter and Plymouth in the diesel-hauled era. I got caught out on one occasion w

The weather was undoubtedly kind during the Mid-Hants Railway’s autumn steam gala over the weekend of October 19-21. Crowds were drawn to the trains – seat occupancy appeared to be high. Perhaps that was due to the attraction of visiting GWR locomoti

By Cedric Johns IN a move which took many by surprise, Locomotive Services (TOC) Limited operated its first passenger train – albeit a private charter – on Saturday, March 24. Hauled by a pair of the company’s Class 47 diesels, the charter departed

By Robin Jones GREAT Northern Railway (Ireland) Q class express 4-4-0 No. 131 has been officially launched into traffic following the completion of a £400,000 overhaul. No. 131, which was built by Neilson Reid in Glasgow in 1901, was withdrawn from