News

Tom Blight received an early Christmas present on December 15, when he was passed out as a fully-qualified Bodmin & Wenford Railway steam driver. Tom, 24, from Roche in Cornwall, joins the select group of volunteers nationwide who have achieved this milestone before their 25th birthday. The responsibility of being in charge of a steam…

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THE agreement between the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways and the National Trust for the loan of Quarry Hunslet No. 855 of 1904 Hugh Napier has been extended for a further 10-year period. The deal was confirmed to Heritage Railway by Ff&WHR director and general manager Paul Lewin, who said: “Hugh Napier has been a…

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By Cedric Johns AMONGST all the family excitement and hustle and bustle created by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s sell-out main line Santa specials, one train brought Iarnród Éireann public services to a halt. According to a brief report issued by the main line operator, passenger services on Saturday, December 15 were subject to…

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By Niall Hammond AMBITIOUS plans to conserve and promote the route of the Stockton & Darlington Railway – the world’s first modern locomotive-powered line – in the lead up to major celebrations for its 200th anniversary are now taking shape. A partnership of the three local authorities, the Tees Valley Combined Authority, the National Railway…

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EXCLUSIVE: By Geoff Courtney A claim by an Australian syndicate that it had bought a “certain English locomotive” – widely believed to have referred to preserved No. 60010 Dominion of Canada – has been exposed as a hoax, after a ‘true or false’ mystery worthy of an Agatha Christie novel. The locomotive was donated by…

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VALE of Rheidol Railway 2-6-2T No. 7 is to make a comeback by pulling the line’s first train of the new season after a 20-year restoration. The 1923-built locomotive (pictured), which has previously carried the name Owain Glyndwr, will return to revenue-earning service on February 16 following restoration by the line’s craftsmen and apprentices. Trains…

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In the first of a new series examining the issues of operating special trains on the main line with heritage rolling stock, Andy Castledine examines the effects of forthcoming legislation into the heritage sector – this time on passenger carriages. It may seem premature to be thinking of the forthcoming year when we’ve only just…

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Peter Wright and John Peat of the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust outline the story behind new-build No. 61673 Spirit of Sandringham, reflecting on the past as well as the future of the LNER-designed 4-6-0. Established in 2011 as an organisation with charitable trust status, the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust is building a full-size working example…

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THE eagerly awaited return of Jubilee No. 45596 Bahamas to main line action remains on course – despite some unexpected delays to its commissioning process. In addition to confirming plans for its flagship for the first quarter of 2019, owning group the Bahamas Locomotive Society, has also revealed that further requests for the year ahead…

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Gareth Evans talks to volunteers of the Mid-Hants Railway-based Urie Locomotive Society and learns about the group’s two S15s: Nos. 506, which is set to return to action in the coming months and 499, which is currently being restored to original condition. As in the wider world of work, some people in the heritage railway…

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