Sam Hewitt

AN APPEAL to raise £200,000 to buy 101mph Peppercorn A1 Pacific No. 60163 Tornado’s tender has reached its target. The 163 Pacifics Club – The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s fundraising facility – was launched in September 2013 to buy the locomotive’s tender from principal sponsor William Cook Cast Products Ltd, and has reached its initial…

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A plaque was unveiled on the site of Bundoran station at 2.30pm on Saturday, September 30, at the exact time and on the same date as the last passenger train left the station in 1957 for Bundoran Junction, bringing down the curtain on 91 years of railway operations in the County Donegal seaside town. Paddy…

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JOHN Cameron’s LNER K4 2-6-0 No. 61994 The Great Marquess has moved to the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway for static display. The West Highland Line veteran is set to take pride of place in the Museum of Scottish Railways at Bo’ness station. The locomotive has been in storage at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway since…

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COALPORT West station on the GWR Severn Valley route from Shrewsbury to Hartlebury Junction has gone up for sale at £950,000 complete with two BR Mk.1 coaches. In 2002, Steve and Lisa Rawlings heard about a disused station within the World Heritage Site of the Ironbridge Gorge while having a pint in a local pub.…

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LOCAL Welsh AM Ken Skates has given his seal of approval for the project to create a new western terminus for the Llangollen Railway. The three-month scheme to create the signalbox base at Corwen Central came to an end with a three-day exercise to infill the crater in which the structure sits. Volunteers, assisted by…

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Enthusiasts who set out to save Britain’s last rail-connected roundhouse were told it was a futile exercise as Barrow Hill roundhouse, which was closed by British Rail in 1991 after 120 years of use, was deemed a complete non-starter by many preservationists. It was said that it could not compete with a ‘normal’ heritage railway…

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By Geoff Courtney STAFF sheltered for their lives as a devastating bush fire caused more than $1 million damage and wrecked decades of work at the volunteer-run Richmond Vale Railway Museum in Australia’s New South Wales. The blaze on September 13 destroyed three stainless-steel carriages, rolling stock including 10 restored coal hoppers and a number…

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By Geoff Courtney A steam train driver who received fatal burns while saving his passengers from a potential catastrophic accident and was awarded a posthumous George Cross for his heroism will be honoured with a churchyard memorial, after lying in an unmarked grave for 52 years. The recognition of Wallace Oakes’ bravery comes after an…

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Exclusive By Geoff Courtney THE future of UK-built Garratt No. 6029, one of the world’s largest preserved steam locos, remains unclear despite the accountancy firm selling the giant engine withdrawing a decision not to respond to media enquiries about its sale following a protest by Heritage Railway. Global accountancy Deloitte is handling the sale of…

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By Robin Jones MANY mighty steam locomotives have graced the rails of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway over the past half century. However, this year’s September 29-October 1 annual steam gala saw three modest Great Western tank engines steal the show for a record-breaking event. More than 4000 visitors enjoyed nine different locomotives in steam,…

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