Sam Hewitt

THE Great Central Railway is planning to have six steam locomotives in action for its Last Hurrah of the Season gala on November 18/19. Subject to completion of its overhaul, this will include Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 68067 hauling its first passenger trains – and rekindling memories of the heritage line’s earlier days when, like many…

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Exclusive by Robin Jones FIFTY years after the end of BR steam, a growing shortage of main line steam drivers is set to hit parts of the charter market. West Coast Railways, which along with DB Cargo, is the principal provider of steam operations for tour operators, has said that it will struggle to provide…

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JUST 80 yards now separates the ground-breaking planned £2.5 million Bala Lake Railway extension from its town centre goal. As previously reported, the 2ft-gauge line is to be extended by 1200 yards from its current terminus at Pen-y-Bont into the heart of Bala – giving a major boost for both visitor numbers and the local…

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WESTERN Region 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle – one of the heritage sector’s biggest icons outside of Flying Scotsman and Mallard – was afforded a welcome for a hero as it made its first public movements at an exclusive VIP launch. Shortly after 11am on Saturday, October 28, the 1950-built Swindon product in gleaming BR…

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NEARLY three decades of hard graft, not only to save Britain’s last rail-connected roundhouse but to convince people it could become a major attraction in its own right, have reaped more dividends for Barrow Hill. At the Heritage Railway Association’s annual awards committee meeting in Birmingham on October 7, major honours were bestowed on Barrow…

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