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 […]
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 […]
Let the train take the strain!
Recently I saw some great news for rail passengers and staff! A press release from the Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited stated that it is 10 years since a passenger died on the railways. However, during the same period, 5 people died on Britain’s roads every day. This equates to a terrible 18,250 deaths. Car accidents injured […]
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?
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!
Locomotives Stories
Have you ever wondered about locomotive stories? Through historical files and the words of working volunteers, we can tell some of those tales.
Studying Locomotives at Crewe Works
Perhaps the most exciting part of my engineering training was studying locomotives at Crewe Works. I was really looking forward to getting up close and personal with actual locomotives!
‘I Would Have Done The Job For Nothing’ – Book Review
Over 40 years ago when I was Engineering Apprentice in Crewe Works, I had the opportunity to travel on a brand new High Speed Train (HST) set on a test run from Derby Litchurch Lane to York and Darlington. The engineer in charge who I met on arrival at Litchurch Lane Works was John Forrest.
A volunteer with Tornado 60163 Steam Locomotive
A guest post by Michael Abbott, volunteer with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust 60163 Tornado about what it is like to be a volunteer working with this famous steam locomotive.
Hunt for Railway Paintings by David Shepherd
A major new worldwide search has been launched, to track down hundreds of original artworks by world famous railway artist David Shepherd– just over a year since his death. It’s believed his paintings have ended up all over the world and now owners of originals by the renowned railway enthusiast and painter are invited to join […]
Magnificent Memories of Sidmouth Railway Station
A guest post by Ann Tanner from Sidmouth Museum. Photos copyright Sidmouth Museum. 50th Anniversary of closure 2017 is the 50th Anniversary of the closure of Sidmouth railway station. Sidmouth Museum decided to mark the anniversary as its occurrence greatly affected the lives of residents and visitors to Sidmouth. The museum has planned an exhibition […]
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 […]