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 […]
Testing Diesel Locomotives at Crewe Works
The last period of my duration in the erecting shop at Crewe Works included a time spent in the company of the Finished Work Inspectors ( FWI ). They conducted sequence testing of the electrical control systems on the locomotives. One Inspector I remember was Joe Beadle. The purpose of these tests was to ensure that […]
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 […]
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 […]
A Railway Enthusiast vists the Llangollen Railway
I have always wanted to visit the Llangollen Railway but had never been. Finally, the chance came to see this beautiful scenic railway and check out the progress they were making on various locomotive projects.
Kings Cross Suburban Railway DVD Review
Recently, I saw an advert for a video by Transport Video Publishing called . We all reminisce about our childhoods and when we see something that provokes a memory, we often explore it further. This DVD took me back to my childhood where I lived at Stevenage on the East Coast Main Line. I used […]
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.
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 […]
11 heritage railways you’ll want to visit
I’ve picked 11 heritage railways that I have visited and I can recommend. I think they all make for a great day out and I’ve highlighted what I think is special about each railway. Let me know which railways you have visited and what you think is the best feature of the railway. Note: in […]
Memories of Crewe Works
Following my first 12 months with British Rail Engineering Ltd at Crewe Works in the training school I embarked on a further 2 years in the main Works from August 1975. If my memory serves me right, the Works employed around 5,000 people at that time. I would like to share some of my Crewe […]
Closure of the Waverley Route
In April 1969, I read an article in Railway World magazine about the closure of the Waverley Route. The report had a profound effect on me which has stayed with me throughout my personal professional life.