The weeks ahead will see several special events and railtours to mark the 50th anniversary of the last steam train run over the main line by BR, the ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’ on August 11, 1968,
Read moreThe long-forgotten ‘missing link’ runs again
Category: Editor’s Intro
Preservation: passing a core test at former model HQ
Fifty years ago, steam trains disappeared from our national network, apparently never to return. At the time, several people who could were rushing around trying to buy locomotives out of service and save them not
Read moreDereham perseverance pays off
IT is truly heartening in a year when we are commemorating half a century since the end of BR main line steam haulage, to see that mode of traction inching forward to reclaim yet more
Read moreJustice for heritage around the corner?
At last – a distinctive breath of fresh air! No, I’m not emerging from the depths of a 1950s steam shed, but talking about a legal system which, rightly or wrongly, has for so long
Read moreWell Worth the effort 50 years ago
There are many themed events from galas to railtours being held this year to mark half a century since the last steam-hauled passenger train under British Rail, 1T57, the legendary ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’ on August
Read moreAmbitions achieved, dreams edited
I HAS taken 37 years from the time the early Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway revivalists moved into derelict Toddington station, with the aim of restoring the entire 29-mile route from Stratford-upon-Avon to Cheltenham that had been
Read moreMuch to celebrate after 50 years!
This year much attention will naturally be focused on the 50th anniversary of the end of British Rail standard gauge steam haulage in August 1968. I remember the time well – looking forward to a
Read more2017: the year of the achievers
It is now 20 years since I moved sideways from an evening newspaper newsdesk into the world of railway magazine publishing. It was tougher than expected but a quickly very rewarding learning curve, and in
Read moreWill a new star be born at Swanage?
Next August, we will mark a half century since the end of British Railways standard gauge steam haulage. It would be easy to assume that the unswerving public passion for steam locomotives, particularly among the
Read moreCorridor of opportunity
FOR those of us who remember the earlier days of standard gauge preservation, WR 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle stood out like a beacon of hope in a steamless world. Those open days at what
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