Great Western Railway (GWR) is proudly showcasing the history of their network and celebrating the rich heritage of Britain’s railways with brand new animated images By delving into the historical railway image archives and commissioning a photographer to capture the stations in their present-day glory, GWR has successfully showcased the gradual development of Britain’s railways over […]
Memories of working on the P-Way
Just to explain – this blog post is about working on the P-Way in the 1970s but I didn’t have any photos from this time so I’ve put in photos of the track re-laying at Midsomer Norton to show the kind of work we did back then. When I worked as a salaried staff engineering […]
Can You Help Preserve Railway History?
Historically, railway accidents were common and many of the health and safety rules that we have today did not exist. Volunteers are now being sought to help tell the sad and costly story behind Britain’s railway age – the deaths and injuries suffered by many thousands of mainly men who operated the railways. Historian Mike […]
Locomotives at the Nene Valley Railway
A visit to the Nene Valley Railway at Wansford in 2017 with photos of the steam locomotives and Deltics that were running on the railway that day.
Lulled By The Sound Of Steam
When I was a child I remember seeing Peter Hanford’s LP’s of steam railway sounds in record shops. Peter was a
Progress on Mark 1 Carriage Restoration
Back in March I blogged about BSK M34527 at Midsomer Norton and its transfer over to Cranmore Maintenance Services for the fitting of gangways. I would like to update you on the progress made on the Somerset and Dorset railway Mark 1 carriage since then.
North Norfolk Railway Review
I recently visited the North Norfolk Railway with some railway friends. I hadn’t been to this heritage railway since the early 1970s although I always follow its progress in the media.
Railway memory lives on with anniversary walk
On the 4th of March 1967, the Budleigh Salterton Railway branch line closed. It ran from Sidmouth Junction (now called Feniton) to Budleigh Salterton and Exmouth, Devon. The wave of manic railway closures in the 1960’s included this branch line. It was believed that its main users were holiday makers rather than local residents. This was probably true because the timetable was so poor that it didn’t meet the […]
Starting Out At Crewe Works
I had been interested railways since I was frightened by an A4 Pacific as it stormed through the old Stevenage station from the North. I was a small child sitting in my pushchair on the Up platform. We were probably travelling to London to visit relatives. I also had an interest in engineering although, as […]
The Railway to Merhead
Recently, I contacted Pete Briddon, an industrial railway engineering specialist, regarding a quotation for fitting a vacuum train brake system to an English Electric diesel hydraulic locomotive. The locomotive is kept on the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway at Midsomer Norton. During this process I became aware that Pete had written a book titled […]
Do you agree with my list of top ten steam locomotives?
Do you agree with my list of top ten steam locomotives? Some locos have held a special place in my heart over the years. I’d like to know what your favourite is and whether it’s on my list or not?
Telford Steam Railway Rolling Stock
The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) in Shropshire is based at Horsehay which was once served by passenger trains operating between Wellington and Craven Arms (part of the Great Western Railway) a distance of around 28 miles.
Teenage Whistle Stop Railway Adventure
I grew up travelling on 1970s trains. They were my ticket to freedom and I loved travelling over the British Rail network. however, things did not always go to plan!