News

AN EXPERIMENTAL ‘Hogwart’s Express’ , trialled by the South Devon Railway, has proved to be a resounding success. The line has been working with fellow Devon charity Hannahs (the Dame Hannah Rogers Trust) to see if it could collaborate by using SDR steam trains as part of the Illustrating Harry Potter exhibition at its Seale…

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SINCE its overhaul was completed two months ago, LMS 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth has experienced several incidents which have impacted on its trains. Firstly, when running light from Tyseley to Derby as a stand-in engine for Princess Coronation Pacific No. 46233 Duchess of Sutherland, ‘Lizzie’ ran a warm right-hand bogie wheelset, which meant that…

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The A1 Steam Locomotive Trust has affiliated its Peppercorn A1 4-6-2 No. 60163 Tornado with RAF Marham as part of the former Lancaster bomber station’s centenary celebrations. RAF Marham is the home of the RAF’s Tornado GR4 two-seat, all-weather, day/night attack and reconnaissance aircraft. On Friday, August 26, the Nene Valley Railway’s Wansford headquarters hosted…

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THE future of the Class 20s that are on hire to GB Railfreight for the transfer of tube stock between Derby works, Asfordby test site and West Ruislip depot, now that the last trainset (in numerical order) has been delivered, remains unclear. There are still trainsets that are awaiting transfer from Asfordby to West Ruislip…

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NETWORK Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy has cut the first sod of the Helston Railway’s short extension and new platform at Trevarno Farm. Nearly 135 years ago, in March 1882, the then mayor of Helston inaugurated work on the proposed railway between Helston and Gwinear Road by cutting the first sod. On Thursday, September 1,…

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By Mike Lucas and Robin Jones FIFTY years after the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway closed, the newest steam locomotive to be built in Britain has run over part of its trackbed. It took engineer John Uphill 17 years to build 0-4-2T Faith, mainly at the private Gartell Light Railway, near Templecombe, where it was…

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THE Severn Valley Railway(SVR) is set to launch a share issue in the coming weeks to raise funds for its £5million redevelopment of Bridgnorth station – the most significant project in the railway’s 51-year history – after Shropshire County Council gave the project the green light. The SVR’s Bridgnorth Development Project Team has been celebrating…

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THE Vale of Berkeley Railway Trust, which is working to revive the Midland Railway Sharpness branch, not only has a working diesel but also a second steam locomotive. The Rolls-Royce-powered, 1967-built Thomas Hill Vanguard shunter British Gypsum No 2 has become the first locomotive to move along track at Sharpness Docks since 1980. The locomotive,…

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The latest Barry scrapyard locomotive to be returned to steam is to make its heritage era debut at the Great Central Railway’s autumn steam gala between October 6 and 9. Bearing in mind the predictions for one of the warmest autumns on record, there is hardly likely to be any snow in sight. For BR…

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