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 […]
How to rebuild a Mark 1 carriage
Understandably many railway enthusiasts focus on locomotives. For this Blog post though I should like to consider M34527 – a British Railways (BR) Mark 1 BSK carriage. British Railways introduced Mark 1 carriages in 1951 and they now form the backbone of heritage railways rolling stock. M34527 is based at the Somerset and Dorset Heritage Railway Trust’s Midsomer Norton station.
A highland railway journey DVD review
Every so often in life, an absolute gem turns up! In this case is a DVD of a journey over the Scottish Highlands by train in the mid 1960s. The DVD was filmed in an era when steam had all but disappeared on our railways. At this time many railway photographers had put away their cameras. […]
More heritage railway to enjoy in the future
As many of you will know in the middle to late 1960’s the national rail system lost three significant mainlines. In 1966, we lost the Somerset and Dorset in its entirety while later that year the Great Central closed as a through route to London. The Waverley route closed completely in early 1969. Great Central Railway […]
Steam Train Photography Top Tips
Taking great photos of steam locomotives can be a challenge! Often someone steps into the frame at the last minute or the loco is passing so quickly, it’s hard to get a decent shot. So I’m delighted to bring you a guest blog post from Colin Wallace of Railway Photography who has been taking great […]
Vintage Trains Limited is Britain’s Newest Train Operating Company
Vintage Trains Limited has announced the granting of its passenger charter licence by the Office of Rail and Road. It is the UK’s first and only Train Operating Company to be owned by the public and charitably controlled. The start of an exciting journey On Friday 1st June 2018, the history of the Great Western […]
Let’s thank Beeching for our steam railways today
We owe the successful steam railways of today to the Government’s policy of railway closures enforced by Beeching.
Model Railway Layout Video
Video of my entire model railway layout and the thinking behind it.
Are you afraid to be a Heritage Railway volunteer?
Have you ever thought about being a heritage railway volunteer? Do you have a deep down desire to do more than just read about or observe locomotives and trains?
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 […]
Are you sitting comfortably?
Getting a seat on a train is one of the primary objectives when we wisely decide to travel by rail. The design thinking that goes into a seat is something most of us take for granted. That is, unless you’re restoring a railway carriage which requires the seats to be refitted after an absence of forty years and the seats need to be reupholstered. […]
Exclusive access to Eastleigh Works
In the early 1990s I worked at Eastleigh Depot in Hampshire with some excellent railway engineers. I hadn’t seen one of them, Barry Stephens, for over twenty-five years but lately social media kept us in touch. Eastleigh Depot is just across the road from Eastleigh Works. Barry is the Managing Director and was instrumental in putting Eastleigh Works back on the railway map. I had seen him […]