News

A County Donegal Railways 2-6-4T has left the north west of Ireland for the first time since it was delivered by makers Nasmyth Wilson in 1907. No. 4 Meenglas, has been moved from outside Derry’s Foyle Valley Railway Museum, where it had been on static display since 1992, to Heritage Engineering Ireland at Whitehead, for…

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A BIG-hearted benefactor has funded the restoration of the exterior of Queen Victoria’s historic royal carriage for the first time in 50 years. Set to last 18 months, the project will involve a complete overhaul of the saloon carriage sides and roof and restoring it fit for a queen. The benefactor, who has not been…

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The recently-formed Gloucester Railway Carriage and Wagon Museum has appealed for help to save the Gloucester Horton Road Motive Power Depot from demolition. Known as 85B, the brick-built shed is under threat from being demolished with the site used for housing. After being formed in 2016 by a group of local enthusiasts, the museum has…

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THE boiler of LMS ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 No. 45596 Bahamas passed its steam test at Tyseley Locomotive works on December 21. The rolling chassis is in the final stages of a bottom-end overhaul, while the tender is complete barring a final coat of paint. Most of the overhaul – backed by a £776,000 Heritage Lottery Fund…

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By Robin Jones VANDALS covered two historic coaches in graffiti when they staged a Christmas raid on the Severn Valley Railway’s Kidderminster Town station. The two coaches were parked up after the last Santa train on Christmas Eve and the damage was only discovered when staff arrived on the morning of Boxing Day. The culprits…

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THE Llangollen Railway’s December 30-31 Winter Warmer weekend provided entertainment when all other tourist attractions in north east Wales were closed. The timetable offered a 45-minute frequency service, starting at Llangollen at 9.30am with a mix of steam and diesel haulage for the return journey to Carrog. First away was GWR pannier No. 6430 with…

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THE South Devon Railway has been in mourning following the death of the man believed to be the world’s longest-serving steam driver who, in 2017, clocked up 63 years’ continuous footplate service. Dave Knowling, who had just celebrated his 78th birthday, was one of the original members of staff to join the Dart Valley Railway…

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THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway is considering setting up a subsidiary trust to take on the long-term overhaul and management of Riddles WD 2-10-0 Dame Vera Lynn. However, it is understood that its ultimate ownership will be retained by the North Yorkshire Moors Historical Railway Trust, in accordance with the wishes of the late Clifford…

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The £5 million new-build Gresley 2-8-2, No. 2007 Prince of Wales, is set to becoming a rolling chassis this spring. Three new plain coupled axles were expected to arrive at Darlington Locomotive Works from South Africa via Unilathe at Stoke-on-Trent, where they have been finish machined, in early January. They are the replacements for those…

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By Phil Marsh Wolverton Works, the longest continuously-open standard gauge railway works in the world, was legally consigned to history on December 20 by Milton Keynes Council. That was the date which will go down in history as the formal signing-off of the planning application by its owners, property development company St Modwen. The company’s…

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