News

By Geoff Courtney More than 1000 visitors to the Guild of Railway Artists’ annual Railart exhibition took part in a vote to select their favourite painting among the 61 on show, with the winner being a night-time, oil-on-canvas scene at Lichfield Trent Valley. It was the work of John Austin, a fellow of the guild…

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By Geoff Courtney Unique, rare opportunity, and scarce, are words that are a regular part of an auctioneer’s lexicon, and Chris France, of internet auction house Railwayana.net, will have every justification to use them at his next sale at the end of November. For instead of the more usual nameplates, cabside numberplates, totem station signs,…

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THE East Lancashire Railway has launched a £340,920 appeal towards the cost of buying current resident Bulleid West Country Light Pacific No. 34092 City of Wells from its three owners. Richard Greenwood, Graham Bentley and John Adams were approached by the railway about selling the locomotive, dubbed ‘The Volcano’ for its storming main line performances…

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By Hugh Dougherty AN AYR design and construction company owner has developed plans to save derelict and dangerous Ayr Station Hotel from demolition. Robin Ghosh, who has already played a key role in saving Ayr’s Seafield House – the historic home of railway engineer Sir William Arrol – said the Glasgow & South Western Railway-built…

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ONE of the last two Chiltern Railways Class 121 ‘Bubblecars’ has been acquired by the Bodmin & Wenford Railway Trust. No. 121020 (55020) was delivered to Bodmin General from Tyseley on October 20. Along with sister vehicle No. 121034 (55034) it was withdrawn from Chiltern service on May 19. They were the last first-generation DMU…

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A £2.5million appeal to secure the future of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) has been launched – with people being asked to pledge their support online. Earlier this year, the Heritage Lottery Fund awarded the NYMR £4.6m towards the £9.2m sustainability project, the line’s Yorkshire’s Magnificent Journey Appeal. The appeal was launched under the…

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THE Llangollen Railway continues to make rapid strides towards the completion of its new western terminus of Corwen Central, with the completion of the subway staircase. In October, contractors cast the top flight of stairs to bring access up from a depth of 14ft to platform level. The completion of the stairs coincided with a…

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ENGINEER Ian Storey is talking to prospective buyers about selling his unique LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 44767 George Stephenson. The locomotive last ran on the North Norfolk Railway three years ago and is currently dismantled as a ‘kit of parts’ at the Midland Railway-Butterley’s West Shed. The locomotive is registered to run over Network Rail…

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THE award-winning Tracks to the Trenches event will return to the Apedale Valley Light Railway for a third time next year, it has been confirmed. Organiser the Moseley Railway Trust will once again be holding the event on July 13-15. The event, centred round a recreation of a Western Front trench, brings together narrow gauge…

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The entire workforce of famed Swiss rack railway Brienz Rothorn Bahn visited the Snowdon Mountain Railway in an unprecedented cultural exchange. The historic Alpine railway, which has climbed to the summit of the Brienzer Rothorn since 1892, was closed for the day as all its staff were in Snowdonia, closely monitoring how the Welsh railway…

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