Features

It’s a Guard’s Life

by

Sam Hewitt

–

9th March 2017

Been thinking about whether to volunteer at your local preserved railway? Paul Appleton encourages you to take that step forward… something he did at the Severn Valley Railway just three years ago. We hear it all the time: “our heritage railways need more volunteers”, so why don’t more of us roll our sleeves up and…
Continue reading »
Winter Chinnor pannier

by

Sam Hewitt

–

28th February 2017

The Chinnor branch has seen a succession of visiting pannier tanks from the South Devon Railway. Martin Creese describes a photo charter in wintry conditions in Oxfordshire. The early return of London Transport-liveried 0-6-0PT L92 (5786) to its home railway in South Devon, brought about the unexpected return of former Weymouth Docks and latterly Wenford…
Continue reading »
Steam Miracle: Ecuador

by

Sam Hewitt

–

28th February 2017

Steam locomotive restoration the world over is not generally funded by governments but by the valiant efforts of individuals, societies or private companies as in the UK. It is therefore remarkable that Ecuador has seen a government-funded railway and steam locomotive rebuilding programme on an unprecedented scale, including the setting up of a workshop for…
Continue reading »
WITH FULL REGULATOR: LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW

by

Sam Hewitt

–

28th February 2017

By Don Benn My theme this time is steam out of Marylebone in the 1960s and 1980s. I didn’t cover the Great Central line in its heyday; only when it was in serious decline in the mid-1960s, and then as a change from the South Western main line. In September 1964, the ‘Atlantic Coast Express’…
Continue reading »
Steamy affairs at Bradford: Hammerton Street Diesel Traction Depot

by

Sam Hewitt

–

22nd February 2017

“Towing a failed DMU” were words that appeared regularly in the railway press in the 1960s, but such workings were rarely photographed. Robert Anderson, who was in a privileged position, remembers many such workings. spent but six months of my railway career at Bradford’s Hammerton Street Diesel Traction Depot and I have to say those…
Continue reading »
Photograph the Settle & Carlisle Line again: 12 best locations

by

Sam Hewitt

–

22nd February 2017

In a special feature to mark the imminent reopening of the much-loved Settle and Carlisle route to through trains following last February’s landslip and the completion of Network Rail’s £23 million repair programme, Brian Sharpe and Robin Jones look at a dozen of the best lineside locations to capture the much-anticipated return of steam action.…
Continue reading »
Maunsell Q in GCR debut

by

Sam Hewitt

–

10th February 2017

The Bluebell Railway-based Maunsell Q 0-6-0 No. 30541 was the star guest at the Great Central Railway’s winter steam gala, making its first-ever appearance on Britain’s only double track heritage main line, with nine other locomotives in steam, writes Robin Jones. Around 5000 people attended the Great Central Railway’s winter steam gala over January 27-29,…
Continue reading »
‘Le Mastrou’

by

Sam Hewitt

–

24th January 2017

It is unusual for a well-established preserved railway to be forced to close, but fortunately, in one case, this proved not to be the end of the story. Don Benn reports on the revival of one of France’s best-known heritage lines. We have visited The Chemin de fer du Vivarais, or the ‘Le Mastrou’ as…
Continue reading »
WITH FULL REGULATOR: LOCOMOTIVE PERFORMANCE THEN AND NOW

by

Sam Hewitt

–

24th January 2017

By Don Benn It has been some years since I sampled steam round Kent due to there being less available and what there is almost always having a tail gunner in the form of a diesel locomotive. However, as soon as I saw that UK Railtours had advertised a trip to Canterbury behind Tornado I…
Continue reading »
The fascination of footplate working: The other side of the story!

by

Sam Hewitt

–

20th January 2017

Working on the footplate is often regarded as having been glamorous, especially as a driver. Brian Bell tells what it was like as a fireman, keeping the coal flowing towards the metropolis in the 1950s. Monday, January 26, 1959. Driver R (Dick) Peart. New England shed. Booking on duty at 2.30am on a cold, windy…
Continue reading »

Features

Latest Issue

Free Digital Issue

Search

Tags