News

BRIDGNORTH is renowned as the northern terminus of the Severn Valley Railway (SVR), Britain’s second most popular heritage line in terms of passenger numbers. However, it is often forgotten it was also a cradle of the steam railway. For it was in the town’s Hazeldine Foundry the locomotive which hauled the world’s first fare-paying passenger…

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By Roger Melton The fine weather of the summer months had brought mixed blessings to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR). At the end of July the year-to-date figures were showing an increase of around 13% in visitor numbers, equivalent to around 11,400 extra passengers, although income was up by a lesser amount at 9%,…

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The Fairbourne Railway’s annual steam gala took place at the end of July this year, rather than the end of May as previously, and suffered a little from the abrupt end to the heatwave and its replacement by powerful winds. There were the now-traditional 15in-gauge visitors on the dual- gauge track at Fairbourne, with Exmoor…

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NEWLY restored and reliveried Duchess of Sutherland has been booked for the Severn Valley Railway’s September 20-23 autumn steam gala, which organisers are boasting will be bigger and better than ever. The annual showpiece event will also feature LMS ‘Black Five’ No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester and the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group’s LNER Q6…

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By Geoff Courtney A PRESERVED steam locomotive worksplate error that went undetected for decades has been corrected at a small ceremony during a rail gala at Amberley Museum in West Sussex on July 14-15. Former ironstone quarry 0-6-0ST Scaldwell had been carrying the wrong worksplate throughout its 35 years at Amberley and possibly before, but…

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SOUTHERN Locomotives Limited-owned unrebuilt Bulleid Pacific No. 34072 257 Squadron moved under its own steam at the Swanage Railway on August 9 after an absence of 15 years. The occasion was the first major test the 4-6-2 has had since leaving the line’s Herston Works last year. Further mileage accumulation and testing will follow, before…

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THE overhaul of the Nene Valley Railway’s flagship BR Standard 5MT No. 73050 City of Peterborough – which has a claim to being the final steam locomotive to leave a BR shed in August 1968 – is progressing at the line’s Wansford workshops. The 4-6-0 was withdrawn at the expiry of its boiler ticket in…

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The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway (WHHR ) in Porthmadog formally relaunched into traffic its popular Bagnall 0-4-2T Gelert on July 29. The locomotive is now sharing passenger duties with the line’s flagship locomotive, Hunslet 2-6-2T Russell. Gelert last steamed in 2013. It had been known for some time the boiler was not in the best…

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By Geoff Courtney The close-knit world of railwayana is mourning the death of David Lewis, who died on August 2 at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer. He is the second auction house principal to pass away in his fifties in a little over a year, following the death 14 months…

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TOWNSFOLK in Brackley have launched a campaign to save its former Great Central Railway station from being demolished. The late-Victorian structure in Top Station Road was vacated by tyre firm ATS Euromaster in July, and is due to be sold at auction via sealed bids. Residents fear it will be demolished and the site used…

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