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 […]
How did you get interested in railways?
As I mentioned in my blog about 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. I thought it would be fascinating to […]
Why flexible rolling stock would be great for passengers
My previous post about ‘adding’ carriages has fuelled some debate so I would like to discuss flexible rolling stock. Train companies lease far more rolling stock than is required trying to satisfy demand for peak commuting. Indeed during peak periods some Train Operating Companies (TOC) plan to operate around 90% of their fleet. TOC’s can’t plan using 100% […]
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.
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?
Loco hauling – should it be returned?
I’m a big fan of locomotive hauled trains and I think this type of traction offers great benefits to passengers.
Let me introduce you to my model railway
Starting to build a model railway layout from scratch is quite a daunting task! Decisions have to be made which will shape the model railway forever. Events from your life and favourite full size railways can all play a part in shaping the final layout. Here’s how I made my decisions:
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.
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 […]
Crewe Works Apprentice Training School
On the 23rd September 1974, I started my railway career which was to last for over 40 years. It was only a week since I had had my successful interview the works general offices (GO) Crewe Works. I was now an Engineering Apprentice.
Steam Locomotive Dating Rewrites History
A recent archaeological survey carried out on Stephenson Railway Museum’s star exhibit, Billy, reveals that the locomotive is even older than previously thought. In March 2018, railway experts Michael Bailey and Peter Davidson wrote a very interesting report. It concludes that Billy was built in 1816, not 1826 as previously thought. This establishes the locomotive as […]