Sommaire pour Issue 329 de Heritage Railway

THE Heritage Railway Association Annual Awards 2025 saw the biggest-ever number of entries in its history, produced many stupendous and richly deserving winners, as listed in Headline News, pages 8-11. It came as no surprise to many that first place in the Steam Locomotive Award category went to the recreation of Brighton H2 Atlantic No. 32424 Beachy Head, a guaranteed crowd-puller since its launch last summer. Who would have dared dream for a minute when the volunteer-led operational heritage sector began nearly three-quarters of a century ago with the saving on the Talyllyn Railway? Then there were double awards for the magnificent Hopetown Darlington attraction, including one from this magazine, and also for the Downpatrick & County Down Railway for its heroic work in recovering from flood devastation. The keynote to…

THE outright winner of the Lord Faulkner Young Volunteer of the Year Award went to Elise Campbell, from the Tanfield Railway, who lives less than five miles from the awards event. Judges were impressed with Elise's dedication in permanent way, her versatility, and the fact that she is also using her volunteer experience to kick-start a career on the national network as a signaller. Highly commended were Jack Baldwin, from the Severn Valley Railway, who led a team of dedicated young volunteers taking forward the Hydroshunter project (as reported in News, page 21), Aodhan Kavanagh, from the Kent & East Sussex Railway, and Alex Raybould, from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. The Rising Star category, supported by PNP Events, is designed to celebrate up-and-coming staff and volunteers in heritage rail.…

THE Severn Valley Railway is not the only line facing major infrastructure challenges. As reported in issue 328, the Spa Valley Railway also faces a hefty bill to replace one of the bridges a long the line between its main station and locomotive depot at Tunbridge Wells West and the halfway point of its route at Groombridge. A £300,000 appeal was launched to fund this vital project, with hopes of replacing the rapidly expiring structure at Broom Lane later this year. On January 2 the railway hosted a sponsored Stride the Line, in which participants were able to walk along the track as far as Birchden Junction, where the heritage line meets and runs parallel to the Southern Uckfield branch. Encouraging start A total of 175 people signed up to…

AWARD-WINNING LSWRT3 4-4-0 No. 563, which made headlines in 2023 when it pulled its first passenger trains after a gap of 75 years, is set to make its first visit away from the Swanage Railway since restoration was completed. The Mid-Hants Railway has announced that No. 563, winner of the Chairman's Special Award at the Heritage Railway Association's Annual Awards 2024, will be starring at the line's April 25-27 spring steam gala when it will run over another route which, like the Swanage branch, was also once part of the LSWR. The gala will be the first time that the 4-4-0 has left Swanage for an external event appearance. Since its restoration was completed in the summer of 2023, it has remained on the Isle of Purbeck, having been donated…

THE General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society is looking for a new home for its locomotive after its current base, the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, said that a Bulleid Merchant Navy Pacific does not align with it future vision and business plan. The society has held ‘positive discussions' with the potential contractor for No. 35011, Devon-based Leaky Finders, in the hope that the locomotive will be relocated there in the latter half of this year. After the National Heritage Lottery Fund rejected in September a stage one pass for the restoration bid for the locomotive, talks with the fund have continued while future options are considered, including a revised application. Eastleigh-built No. 21C11 General Steam Navigation entered service on December 30, 1944, in wartime black livery and was allocated to…

SEPTEMBER 1960 saw the final steam-hauled workings to Chesham on the Metropolitan Line, with electrification resulting in three-car T stock units taking over the shuttles between there and Chalfont & Latimer. The Bluebell Railway will pay tribute to the services with BR 2MT 2-6-2T No. 41313 paying a short visit to Sussex from its Isle of Wight home in March. In the 1960s, steam was phased out from the London Transport network, and the short journey between the two stations had been worked by a push-pull shuttle comprising a rake of ex-Metropolitan Railway Ashbury carriages and a BR 2MT tank. No. 41284 was responsible for working the final trip along this section, after which the working was handed over to LT's electric trains. While No. 41284 was eventually withdrawn in…

PATHFINDER Tours is to run an outing to mark Railway 200 with a Stockton and Darlington-themed tour on Saturday, April 5, under the title of ‘The Weardale Explorer.' Starting from Gloucester with a pair of Class 47sin charge, the tour will run via Cheltenham Spa, Worcestershire Parkway, Birmingham New Street, Tamworth and Derby, picking up additional passengers at each station. From Derby the tour is scheduled to take the cross-country route to York to connect with the East Coast Main Line. Passengers can choose to alight at York for seven hours or stay on the train to continue north to Darlington. Taking a slight deviation, the train is planned to stop at North Road station where passengers may alight for five hours. Museum destination Those who decide to stay on…

MULTPLE award-winning photographer Jack Boskett has been appointed head of marketing for the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Plc. Jack, 34, has been a volunteer on the line for 17 years and has accepted the role on a part-time freelance basis. He takes over from previous marketing manager Catherine Johnson, who left at the end of 2024 to pursue her career elsewhere. He is editor of the railway's house magazine, The Cornishman, and is due to qualify as a steam locomotive fireman this year “I am thrilled to be taking on this important post,” said Jack. “My passion for this wonderful railway and promoting it to the public really makes this a natural fit. I am looking forward to promoting the railway's growth through effective outreach and marketing campaigns. “Being appointed at…

THE National Tramway Museum at Crich has appointed Graham Bennett as chief executive officer, with Victoria Dickerson taking on the role of volunteer coordinator and mentor. Graham brings a wealth of experience in people and commercial leadership from the manufacturing and construction sector and is a trustee and volunteer at three other charities. He will oversee the museum's operations, strategic vision, and engagement activities. “This is a place I have visited several times with my family, and I am excited to be given the opportunity to combine my commercial experience and time as a trustee and volunteer elsewhere to take the National Tramway Museum onto the next stage in its journey,” he said. “I am looking forward to working with the team to build on the museum's successes, strengthen its…

POLICE have appealed for information about the theft of a trailer containing a model railway layout following a breakdown near junction nine on the M56 in Cheshire. Two Wrenbury and District Model Railway Club members were travelling to a narrow gauge show in Rainford, St Helens, on January 18 when their 4ft by 3ft camping trailer sustained a puncture. A passing Highways Agency patrol stopped and said they had two hours to fix the problem before being towed off the motorway. The men removed the trailer wheel and drove to Warrington to buy a new tyre – only to find when they returned that the trailer had vanished. It contained an 009 gauge layout, St Margaret Grange, on two main boards. Anyone with information in relation to the theft is…

THE site of a new housing development on former railway land adjacent to the East Lancashire Railway will not threaten any plans for future extension, although there is no immediate proposal for any such growth of the heritage line. The Hawks View estate in Castleton, Rochdale, is set to see nearly 200 new homes built near to the ELR's Heywood station, occupying brownfield land once full of railway sidings but which has been vacant for more than a decade. Housing developer Kellen Homes completed purchase of the land in September 2024 and revealed a plan for 191 new-builds, comprising a mix of two, three and four bed homes, 29 of which it says will be allocated for affordable housing. Its plan includes 3.83 hectares of open space, with a large…

PS Waverley, the world's last sea-going paddle steamer, is backing Railway 200. Carrying the year-long celebration event's logo on its website and publications, Waverley Excursions Ltd is reminding passengers that the ship was built in 1947 by the LNER and is every inch a railway boat. “We are part of the celebrations,” said general manager Paul Semple. “Waverley is as much part of railway heritage as it is of maritime history, and it's doubly apt to be part of Railway 200 as we are also marking our 50th anniversary of the boat in preservation. “We are reminding passengers that we are offering sailings to connect with heritage lines, including the Brecon Mountain Railway, the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, the West Somerset Railway, Lynton & Barnstaple, Dartmouth Steam Railway and…

BR Standard Class 7 Pacific No, 70000 Britannia will haul the London to Chester section of a Steam Dreams tour on Saturday, May 10. Starting out from Horsham diesel-hauled, the train is scheduled to pick up additional passengers at Dorking, Leatherhead, Epsom, Wimbledon and Clapham Junction, before crossing the capital with a brief stop in north London while the diesel traction is exchanged for the steam locomotive. The train is then expected to continue through north-west London to pick up the West Coast Main Line. It will then head north as far as Crewe, before taking the North Wales Main Line to Chester. Customers will have three hours to explore that historic city, before the return journey by heritage diesel via the same route as the outward journey setting down…

MIDLAND Pullman will be heading to York and Scarborough from the South Devon coast with the ‘Yorkshire Coast Pullman' tour on Thursday, April 24. Starting from Paignton, the train is planned to take the Riviera Line to collect additional passengers at Torquay, Newton Abbot, Dawlish and Exeter St David's. From here, the tour takes the Bristol-Exeter Line to pick up further passengers at Tiverton Parkway, Taunton, Bridgwater, Bristol Temple Mead and Bristol Parkway. The train is expected to pass through Cheltenham, Birmingham, Derby and Leeds, before arriving at York where passengers can either alight or carry on to Scarborough. The return journey is expected to be via the same route. Tickets are available in Pullman dining or first class non-dining. Visit midlandpullman.com…

THE Scottish Railway Preservation Society is to run the circular ‘The Seven Counties Rambler' tour on Saturday, March 8. Starting from Linlithgow behind a pair of Class 20s, it will head to Edinburgh Waverley for more passengers. Taking the Edinburgh Suburban Line, the train is planned to transfer onto the West Coast Main Line, before turning toward Glasgow at Midcalder Junction. Passing through Glasgow on the South West Line, it will head for Carlisle. There, the original pair of Class 20s will be replaced with two others, giving passengers the opportunity to see all four Class 20s, Nos. 20096, 20107, 20118, and 20132, owned by Locomotive Services Limited together. Leaving Carlisle, the tour is scheduled to take the Settle to Carlisle route passing Settle Junction to Hellifield and then on…

LONDON and the south-east, Derby, Holyhead, Doncaster, and Hull, are among the UK locations featured in the online auction being held by railway slides, negatives, photographs and paperwork specialist JustaClickAgo on February 17-23, while from across the Channel, French and Belgian scenes will also make an appearance. The Derby, London and south-east selection will comprise 500 enprint photographs compiled in an album by HC Casserley, a majority of which date from 1920 and thus are of pre-Grouping locomotives and scenes, while the Holyhead collection is 32 prints from 1953 and 1960 depicting railway operations, buildings, container handling and ships. The entire class of Deltics, excluding Nos. 55001/20, is the subject of 85 colour slides taken in 1980 and the following year around Doncaster and Hull, and from further back in…

A POST-CHRISTMAS surge in shopping was a welcome financial boost to model manufacturer Hornby, which announced the additions to its catalogue for 2025 on January 14 – with the inclusion of a highly requested locomotive that has been absent for nearly four decades. Following its announcement in September 2023 that the firm was reporting a £5.1 million loss in the six months beforehand, Hornby entered what it called a ‘consultancy arrangement' with billionaire Mike Ashley in March 2024 in a bid to ‘steady the ship.' Fortunes have since appeared to take a turn, with the firm reporting a 23% revenue growth for December 2024 alone. Chief excutive Olly Raeburn said: “In a tough economic climate, we are pleased to report growth in revenue, margins, and gross profits through this critical…

Change is often an accepted part of progress. It was the Ribble Steam Railway's relocation from Steamport Southport, where it was originally set up in the 1970s, to Chain Caul Road, Preston, that led to the return of regular freight traffic at the docks to support an industry which has been part of the area since the late 1920s. The partnership resulted in the diversion of many thousands of tonnes of bitumen a year from road tankers to rail, initially travelling between Lindsey Oil Refinery in Lincolnshire and Preston, but more recently from Haverton Hill, Teesside. The additional income was a welcome but unexpected contribution to the upkeep and maintenance of the railway and its fleet of historic locomotives, as the movement of bitumen by rail had ceased nine years…

MEMBERS of the public are being encouraged to vote for their favourite pieces of railway artwork to whittle down more than 200 pieces to 20 finalists for a digital exhibition later this year. In a unique partnership between art education charity Art UK and the Railway 200 campaign, people have until midnight on Friday, April 11 to pick their top three from a longlist of 200, which has been compiled by Art UK and its museum partners. The longlist contains paintings, drawings, sculptures and more chosen from 94 public collections in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland dating from the 1830s to the 21st century. Among those included are works by renowned railway painters such as Terence Cuneo and Norman Wilkinson, alongside famous names such as Lucien Pissarro and JMW Turner.…

Beamish The Living Museum of the North, County Durham. Open: Fri-Suns. Daily from Feb 22. Tel: 0191 370 4000. Coleford GWR Museum Coleford, Gloucestershire. Open: Fris, Sats. Tel: 01594 832032/833569. Colonel Stephens Railway Museum Tenterden station, KESR. Open on KESR operating days. Tel: 01580 765155. Crewe Heritage Centre Vernon Way, Crewe. Reopens Mar 29. Tel: 01270 212130. Donegal Railway Heritage Centre Donegal. Open: Daily. Tel: 00353 (0) 749722655. Hopetown Darlington North Road Station, Darlington. Open: Tues-Suns. Tel: 01325 405060. Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Irchester, Northamptonshire. Open: Suns. Tel: 01604 675368. Leeds Industrial Museum Armley Mills, Leeds. Open: Tues-Suns. Tel: 0113 378 2097. Locomotion: The National Railway Museum, Shildon Co Durham. Open: Daily. Tel: 033 0058 0058. London Transport Museum Covent Garden. Open: Daily. Tel: 0343 222 5000. Manchester Museum…

Historical railway poster lives again after chapel discovery A COMBINATION of dogged determination, good luck, and digital technology, has led to the restoration of a 132-year-old railway poster that was discovered torn and incomplete during the demolition of a chapel more than three decades ago. The poster was issued by North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways – the forerunner of the Welsh Highland Railway – in 1893 to promote its line as the “shortest and most picturesque route to Snowdon & Beddgelert”, a claim that was supported by nine sketched images of contemporary photographs and a map. When unearthed during the demolition of the chapel at Llanberis in 1993, ironically exactly 100 years after being printed, it was in very poor condition with a large piece missing, but Mike Kerr, who…

THE Bodmin & Wenford Railway has become the latest heritage line to consolidate its operating arms and hand over operating control to a single body. In recent months both the Severn Valley and North Norfolk railways have announced restructuring proposals of its operating companies (Heritage Railway issues 327 and 328 respectively), which have been put to shareholders to be vote on, while the Bodmin Railway is already well advanced in this matter – with the line becoming the responsibility of the Bodmin Railway Heritage Trust as of February 1. Like many lines, the BWR had comprised several separate entities. Since 1984 the Bodmin & Wenford Railway plc was in charge of its operations, with the B&WR Trust as custodian of the principal assets, while volunteers and supporters formed the Bodmin…

ALSTOM, one of the world's largest manufacturers of railway equipment, has announced details of the UK's largest ever gathering of historic rail vehicles – The Greatest Gathering – to mark the 200th anniversary of the modern railway. On August 1-3, Alstom's historic Litchurch Lane site in Derby will open to the public for the first time in more 50 years. During the three-day festival, Britain's biggest and oldest remaining train factory will host more than 50 rolling stock exhibits from the past, present and future of the railways. Senior figures from the rail industry attended the official launch event at Derby on January 30, with Gian Luca Erbacci, Europe region president at Alstom, Emma Roberts, programme manager at Railway 200, and Baggy Shanker, Labour MP for Derby South, giving speeches.…

THE Swanage Railway has appointed its first chief executive with the aim of developing and future-proofing the Isle of Purbeck seaside line for generations to come. Abbie King will join the Swanage Railway Company, which runs the heritage steam and diesel train service and undertakes other commercial activities for the Swanage Railway Trust charity, in the paid full-time role from March 17. She said: “I am looking forward to coming back to Dorset and joining the established team at the Swanage Railway to help make sure the wonderful heritage line is future proofed for generations to come.” Growing up in Dorset, Abbie comes to the Isle of Purbeck from the Shrewsbury Ark in Shropshire, a charity helping homeless and vulnerable people. As the Shrewsbury Ark's charity director, she developed the…

VINTAGE Trains will be visiting the West Somerset Railway with a returning favourite tour, ‘The Whistling Ghost,' on Saturday, May 31. Departing from Birmingham New Street, the express hauled by either GWR 4-6-0 Earl of Mount Edgcumbe WR 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle will pick up at Barnt Green, Worcestershire Parkway, Cheltenham, Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads before heading to Bishops Lydeard. There, the Castle will be detached and a WSR steam locomotive will then take the train to Minehead for a short stay. The return trip will see the Castle storm the 1-in-37 Lickey Incline. For more details visit https://vintagetrains.co.uk…

UK Railtours is to run two tours on consecutive days which form a positioning move with a difference from Preston to Watford Junction, before the main event the following day from London to Stratford-upon-Avon. Starting from Preston on Friday, February 21, under the title of ‘The Chopper Quartet', the train is scheduled to head south on the West Coast Main Line hauled by two Class 43, courtesy of Rail Adventure. Additional passenger pick-ups are planned for Crewe and Wolverhampton, before the route heads past Bescot, Perry Bar Junction, Soho Junction, and Smethwick Junction, then on to Stourbridge Junction, and finally Kidderminster. At Kidderminster the train is expected to pass onto Severn Valley Railway metals and make the journey to Bewdley for a locomotive exchange. Passengers will have just under two…

INTERCITY Tours is to run a three-day excursion of Scotland behind two Class 37s under the title of ‘The West Highlander.' Starting from Crewe on Friday, March 14, the tour will head north along the West Coast Main Line to Carlisle, picking up additional passengers at Warrington Bank Quay, Wigan North Western, Preston and Carlisle. From there, the train will tackle Beattock Summit and then head through the lowlands of Scotland, passing Glasgow, and then joining the West Highland Line at Craigendoran Junction. Passing Loch Long and Loch Lomond, the tour is expected to arrive in Fort William in the evening for an overnight stay. The next day, Saturday, March 15, the train will leave Fort William after breakfast and head along the West Highland Extension to Mallaig where there will be…

TWO weeks after Great Central's March 1 auction that features a comprehensive selection of worksplates, a preview of which is included on page 62, GW Railwayana will continue the theme on March 15 with a line-up that also includes Victorian plates. One of those is an 1890 Sharp Stewart & Co of Glasgow plate (works No. 3579) from Barry Railway Class B 0-6-2T No. 31 that became GWR No. 231 and survived into the Nationalisation era before being withdrawn in October 1949. Another plate from a pre-Grouping locomotive that made it into BR stock is a 1909 LBSCR Brighton Works example from I3 class 4-4-2T No. 75 that was renumbered 2075 by the Southern Railway, No. 32075 by BR, and was withdrawn from Three Bridges (75E) in December 1951. The…

A NEW definitive public online database of every diesel, electric and gas turbine locomotive that has run on the national network from the 1890s through to the very latest changes in stock each month has been launched by the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society. All renumbering, naming and disposal information is included in the Modern Traction Locomotive Database, and each reallocation and explanatory notes where appropriate. Its unique feature is that searches can be made by number, number range, class and so on, as well as by name, and there is a ‘free text' search for disposal and preservation information. The database, accessible to all at locodata.org.uk, can be used to find details of every locomotive allocated to a particular depot or a combination of depots over any specified time period, and…

WHILE Railway 200 will this year celebrate the 200th birthday of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and start of the world's modern railway era, a £238,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will ensure the long-term legacy of this internationally important 26-mile-long line long beyond the celebrations. The grant has been awarded to The Friends of the Stockton & Darlington Railway which, with support from Durham County Council, Darlington Borough Council and Stockton Borough Council, will allow the charity to take a leading role in the future management of the route. It will build on more than a decade of voluntary efforts by the charity's members to maintain the line, research its historical importance, and to engage the local community with its rail heritage. Work funded by the grant…

LNER A4 Pacific No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley is to haul a series of five special trains over the Forth Bridge in August. SRPS Railtours and the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust, in association with the Scottish Railway Preservation Society and Locomotive Services Ltd, are working together to provide these services from Edinburgh. Two trips will run each day over the Fife Circle on August 14 and 18, and with a tour to Aberdeen on August 23. Trust chairman Nigel Wilson said: “I am very pleased that we have this opportunity to work with SRPS and in particular the return to Aberdeen, where Sir Nigel Gresley was based from 1962 until 1966 when it was purchased for preservation by SNGLT. I believe this will be our locomotive's first visit to the…

GWR 4-6-0 No. Betton Grange will return to Denbighshire and the railway where the new-build project was first conceived as it has been booked to headline the Llangollen Railway's April 11-13 branch line weekend – making it the first steam locomotive to visit for a gala event since 2019. In 1998, the 6880 Society was established to build the 81st member of the GWR Grange class. Its construction was based at the Llangollen's workshops from its inception and supported by many of the members and working volunteers there. In 2021, with the railway facing administration, the engineering business was wound up, resulting in the 6880 Society relocating to Tyseley Locomotive Works, to where the locomotive had already been moved in 2018 for the contracted overhaul of the boiler taken from…

IN conjunction with the planned visit of the A3 to the Nene Valley Railway, the railway's wagon group has organised a photographic charter that will see the Pacific appear on a freight train for the first time in more than 30 years! Photographic charters with Flying Scotsman are few and far between, and so the opportunity has been seized by the NVR Wagon Group to run a ‘Scotch Goods'-themed event, with the A3 coupled to the restored express freight set that has been gradually restored by volunteers. Scheduled for February 28, the occasion is befitting for the NVR as it was there during a visit in 1994 that Flying Scotsman was last seen working a freight train. During charters at that time, No. 60103 took on the identity of two…

THE Bramley Line Heritage Railway, which aims to reopen part of the moth balled March to Wisbech branch, has been granted charitable status. In December the group issued a statement reasserting its long-held ambition of opening the stretch of line between Waldersea, near Friday Bridge, and Coldham as a heritage line. It also aims to establish a heritage centre to preserve and pass on the history of the line and its workings to the local area, visitors, and schools. Now a charitable incorporated organisation, secretary Terry Hartga said: “This is a great start to the new year and an important step forward for our members, potentially opening up new funding streams and volunteering opportunities. This year is Rail 200, and 2027 is the 180th anniversary of the opening of the…

A LLANGOLLEN Railway signalbox could become a wildlife viewing hub. The Llangollen Railway Trust has applied to Denbighshire Country Council's planning department for listed building consent to retain the ‘box at the west end of Glyndyfrdwy station as it is building a wheelchair access platform next to the structure which would be linked to the station by a new path. Built in 1890 by Dutton and Co, the Barmouth South 'box was given Grade II-listed status on June 4, 1986, but was closed just two years later. It was moved to the LR in 1999 but has remained unused there and consequently its condition has deteriorated. The proposal for its conversion seeks to give it a new lease of life, in a project devised following discussions with officers of the…

DARLINGTON Building Society has hopped on board the celebrations to mark the 200th anniversary of the world's first steam-hauled passenger line with the launch of a new savings account. For every 1825 Railway Saver account opened, the building society will donate £10 to The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, builder of Peppercorn Pacific No. 60103 Tornado and Gresley P2 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales. Donations from the 1825 Railway Saver account will help fund places in the Tornado Team, which engages with children aged 5-15 to encourage a passion for industry and engineering. Building society chief executive Andrew Craddock said: “This year is hugely significant for our region, and Darlington Building Society is commemorating the dawn of passenger rail in its heartland in many ways. “We partnered with The A1…

POLICE issued an appeal for information after several large specialist tools were stolen during a raid on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway between January 16 and 23. Among the items stolen was equipment including a Honda-powered petrol generator, Cembre eco rail drill, two-stroke petrol in a blue steel carrying box, a trolley-mounted Honda petrol hydrovane air compressor, a partner petrol-driven disc cutter with leather PPE leggings, and a Maxim Master 35 petrol-driven impact wrench and sockets. Anyone with information about the theft or who has been offered these tools for sale is asked to email joanne. fawcett@northyorkshire.police.uk or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via its website, quoting reference 12250013491.…

TWO industrial steam locomotives have moved to the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Sentinel 4wVB No. 7232 of 1927 Ann, which worked at British Tar Products Limited in Cadishead, Lancashire, until it retired in 1969, subsequently moved to the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, where it eventually returned to steam in 1998. Bought by two individuals, Ann was then moved to the East Lancashire Railway where another overhaul was completed four years ago, before it was used on occasional passenger trains, brake van rides and shunting demonstrations. At the KWVR, it has been joined by Avonside 0-4-0ST No. 1973 of 1927 Dora, which was supplied new to the British Electricity Authority at Barton, near Manchester. First based in preservation at the KWVR where it was returned to steam but…

A RAIL consultant with a third of a century of experience in the industry, including the founding of a company which opens new stations, has been appointed to the board of the Great Central Railway. Qualified accountant Ian Walters began his career in the retail and defence sectors before joining the rail industry in 1991. At Chiltern Railways, he became finance director in 2001. In 2009, Ian founded SLC, and independent rail consultancy operated by a team of rail professionals with a wealth of experience and expertise in a wide variety of environments and disciplines. Under his leadership as managing director, SLC has successfully opened 12 new stations, with an additional 11 set to open soon and numerous projects in development. He also serves as a director of E-Rail, a…

A RECENT surge in focus on training and site improvements has seen many lines invest in these areas, with the North Norfolk Railway being one of the latest to do so, its goals having been supported by the securing of two separate funding grants. Site improvements have included the installation of low-energy LED lights in the workshops at Weybourne to improve the environment for its staff and volunteers, while also reducing electricity consumption on the site. An oil store and coal bunker have also been created, allowing for the storage of smokeless solid fuel ovoids alongside the traditional coal as the line seeks to reduce emissions as well as the risk of lineside fires. These have been funded partly thanks to a grant of £34,427 from the Rural England Prosperity…

THE Fife Heritage Railway has applied for planning permission to expand its facilities at Kirklands Yard with a new model railway exhibition area, reception, cafe, bookshop and museum display. The railway, which has been based on the site since 2001, operates, maintains and restores preserved items from the former Lochty Private Railway. It wants to reuse one of the temporary construction buildings left behind by Network Rail after the conclusion of the project to reinstate the Levenmouth rail link. The structure had been used as offices and welfare facilities. The FHR's application to Fife Council said: “This will further enhance visitor facilities and will also provide opportunities for local volunteering, tackling skills gaps, developing young people, and provide opportunities for all ages and abilities for leisure and social interaction.”…

DONEGAL Railway Heritage Museum manager Niall McCaughan has resigned to take up a new job as manager of tourism body Go Visit Donegal/Explore Innishowen. In charge at Donegal since October 2018, Niall has been widely credited with turning around the fortunes of the railway museum by boosting visitor numbers and developing community involvement thanks to a series of innovative projects over the last five years. The highlight was bringing County Donegal Railways Class 5 2-6-4T Drumboe, the locomotive which hauled the last passenger train on the narrow gauge system, on December 13, 1959, back home to Donegal in October 2021, generating renewed interest in the railway and its heritage and placing the museum firmly on the must-see lists of tourists and enthusiasts alike. “When I took up the manager's post…

INTERCITY Tours will be using Shaun Wright's Class 40 D213 on Saturday, March 1 on ‘The East Anglian 2' tour. In a similar format to the successful original East Anglian tour in March 2022, this excursion is planned to start out from Crewe and head south on the West Coast Main Line to pick up additional passengers at Stafford, Tamworth, Nuneaton, Rugby and Milton Keynes Central. Continuing on the WCML as far as Wembley, it will cross the capital on the North London Line to reach Stratford. Taking the Great Eastern Main Line north, the tour is expected to pass through Chelmsford, Colchester, Ipswich and Diss, before arriving in Norwich with three hours to explore the city while the train is serviced. The return journey is via the same route,…

NAMEPLATE Mark from a preserved BR diesel shunter was the winner by a country mile in Great Central's two-day ‘Bloxham'style auction on January 9/10 with a realisation of £3150. It was from a Class 08 that was outshopped by Derby in August 1956 numbered 13265, was renumbered D3265 in 1961, became 08195 under the TOPS system introduced in 1972, and was saved for preservation on withdrawal in 1983 and is now a resident of the Llangollen Railway. Runner-up, albeit some way adrift, was a July 1941 LNER ledger of coaching stock with diagrams that fetched £580, followed at £560 by a locomotive brass safety valve and three items that each sold for £500, consisting of an industrial locomotive headlamp, an SECR Walker's signalbox communications/ bell instrument, and an LNWR signalbox…

THE firm has also revealed a further range of wagons to supplement its growing presence in OO scale, with the BR ‘clay hood' being chosen on this occasion. BR built a total of 875 of these wagons to replace the older GWR O.13 type, which were nearing 40 years old at the time. The nature of China clay powder meant it had to be transported dry and tarpaulins would be used to cover the wagons once loaded. At first these were just thrown over the top of the wagon as was, but problems developed during inclement weather, with water pooling and eventually seeping through and soaking the contents below, leading to wagons later being fitted with a retractable raised bar that allowed the tarpaulins to have a ‘pent' that meant…

CELEBRATIONS for both Railway 200 and the Stockton & Darlington Railway bicentenary are taking place around the UK, involving main line operators, heritage lines, museums and local communities. Here is a preview of some of those happening in the next few months. If you're planning an event, exhibition, talk, or other way of celebrating the anniversary and would like it included in our listings, please email Owen Hayward at ohayward@mortons.co.uk with the details. For a full list of events taking place in 2025, visit railway200.co.uk and sdr200.co.uk Headline events August 1-3 – Alstom presents: The Greatest Gathering Litchurch Lane Works, Derby. September 26-28 Locomotion No. 1 on the Stockton & Darlington route. March-September – Stockton & Darlington Railway Bicentenary Celebrations. Extended celebrations National Railway Museum and Locomotion Shildon – Activities, displays and events throughout…

SOUTH EAST Amberley Museum 2ft gauge, ¼ mile. Arundel, West Sussex. Tel: 01798 831370. Open: Weds-Sun. Bluebell Railway Standard gauge, 11 miles. Sheffield Park, East Sussex TN22 2QL. Tel: 01825 720800. Running: W/Es, sch hols. Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway 2ft gauge, ½ mile. Bredgar, Sittingbourne, Kent. Tel: 01622 884254. Running: Feb 19-21, Weds from Feb 26. Chatham Historic Dockyard Standard gauge, one mile. Chatham, Kent. Tel: 01634 820800. Open: Weds-Suns. Daily from Mar 5. East Kent Railway Standard gauge, two miles. Shepherdswell, Kent. Tel: 01304 832042. Reopens Mar 24. Eastleigh Lakeside Railway 10¼ in & 7¼ in gauge, 1¼ miles. Running: W/Es, sch hols. Exbury Gardens & Steam Railway 12¼ in gauge, 1½ miles. Exbury, Southampton. Tel: 023 8089 1203. Open: Daily from Mar 8. Hayling Light Railway 2ft…

FEBRUARY ■ 14 Seaton Tramway Twilight Tram ■ 15 Peak Rail The Night Shift ■ 15 Statfold Country Park Statbus at Night ■ 15/16 Great Central Railway Extinct Express ■ 15/16 Nene Valley Railway Thomas Branch Line Weekend ■ 15-23 Mid Hants Railway Magic of Locomotion ■ 15-23 North Yorkshire Moors Railway NER Autocar Trips ■ 20 East Lancashire Railway Travel to Wonderland ■ 20-23 Isle of Wight Steam Railway Winter Gala & Dark Ales Festival ■ 22/23 Nene Valley Railway Best of British with Flying Scotsman ■ 22/23 Swanage Railway Community Weekend ■ 23 Epping Ongar Railway Winter Bus Rally ■ 27/28 East Anglian Railway Museum Beer Festival MARCH ■ 1 Bala Lake Railway St David's Day ■ 1 East Anglian Railway Museum Beer Festival ■ 1/2 Great Central Railway…

FOR Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway members busy on essential maintenance during the closed season, the latest item of vital equipment acquired by the track gang to aid this work is… a dustpan and brush! The volunteers spend the winter months replacing worn sleepers along the eight-mile route. While these have traditionally been made of wood, in recent years the railway has, like most in the heritage industry and Network Rail, adopted composite sleepers made from recycled plastics. As well as reusing bottles, food packaging and other unwanted plastics that may otherwise end up in a landfill, composite sleepers last much longer than their traditional counterparts. Wooden sleepers have been made either from softwood treated with creosote, which is today not considered to be a very environmentally-friendly product, or hardwood,…