Sam Hewitt

EXCLUSIVE By Geoff Courtney The future of one of the world’s top railway museums that dramatically ceased operating nearly five months ago remains shrouded in doubt, despite the determination of enthusiasts to prevent its permanent closure and to resume operations. Based in the Australian capital Canberra, the museum, whose flagship locomotive is a giant Garratt…

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MIXED weather greeted the Llangollen Railway’s ‘Along Birkenhead Lines’ gala held over March 3-5. A last gasp of winter saw a combination of sunshine, showers, rain and even snow being experienced in almost equal measure. However, the three visiting locomotives, LMS Stanier 8F 2-8-0 No. 48624, GWR No. 6960 Raveningham Hall and LMS 4MT 2-6-0 No.…

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THE Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway has launched a series of one-day photographic training courses. The sessions will take at Chinnor station, signalbox and yard, and inside the largest GWR signalbox, the listed 100 lever Princes Risborough North signalbox. The courses are divided into three themes: railways and wildlife, railways and steam, and Flying Scotsman…

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A PIONEERING Class 125 charter from the Dartmoor Railway to London came to grief after slipping on the heritage line’s wet rails and being left with wheel flats. The ‘Royal Oke’ was advertised as the first direct train from Okehampton to Paddington in 50 years and had been organised by a group of volunteers in…

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THE Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway’s new museum will open in June following a two-year, Heritage Lottery Fund-backed redevelopment. Built at Ravenglass station, the new trainshed extension will double the previous museum’s footprint. The museum owns more than 6000 objects ranging from 15in gauge locomotives and rolling stock through to uniforms, photographs and historic engineering. The…

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By Phil Marsh West Coast Railways’ steam inspector John Daniel has retired for the second time in his railway career after becoming what is thought to be the UK’s longest serving member of railway staff. His first career lasted ‘just’ 51 years and after a break he joined West Coast Railways and completed another 11½…

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THE Moseley Railway Trust has booked two Wrens – one old and one new – for its Kerr Stuart-themed gala at the Apedale Valley Light Railway on May 13-14. Kerr Stuart Wren 0-4-0ST No. 3128, was built in 1918 for a factory in Avonmouth which supplied mustard gas to British forces fighting in the First…

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THREE Pullman coaches which formed part of a Sunderland hotel have been moved for restoration and a new life on the south coast. The three former ‘Orient Express’ Pullmans – Rosalind and Padua with six-wheel bogies and Sapphire with four-wheel bogies – are survivors of later use as holiday homes and mobile offices. As highlighted…

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Cambrian Heritage Railways has been granted a Transport and Work Act Order giving it statutory powers over the Gobowen to Oswestry and Llanyblodwel line that members have been busy reviving. The route is the surviving section of what in pre-Grouping and later GWR days was a busy railway hub. Passenger services to Welshpool and Whitchurch…

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