4930 ‘Hagley Hall’ moves under its own power The Severn Valley Railway has reached a significant milestone with the overhaul of its ‘flagship’ locomotive 4930 ‘Hagley Hall’. On Wednesday 11th May, the engine moved under its own power at Bridgnorth on the Severn Valley Railway. This is the first time such an event has occurred for […]
Great Western Railway History: Then and Now
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 […]
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 […]
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.
Railway Memories Through The Years
by Stuart Whitter – Chairman, Northern Steam Engineering Limited I am very pleased to welcome as guest blogger Stuart Whitter who I first met in the very early 1980’s when we were involved in the restoration of Class 9F 92212 at the Great Central Railway, Loughborough. During our time in the railway industry we have […]
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.
Wickham Trolley Restoration Project
The type 27A Wickham Trolley is a railway personnel carrier. British Rail used them to transport small groups of engineers to inspect railway lines. Over 600 type 27A Mk3 were built from nationalization of the railways in 1948 until around 1990 . They were used extensively over the whole of the British Railways network. Some also hauled four-wheel trailers which carried tools and equipment. Delivery of B40W On 20th February 2017, Wickham Trolley B40W was […]
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 […]
Steam locomotive County of Montgomery at the GWSR
New-build Churchward ‘County’ class 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery steam locomotive could be based on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR), following the signing of a new agreement between the Churchward County Trust which is building the new engine, and the railway. The agreement, which supersedes an earlier ‘agreement in principle’ between the GWSR […]
How to go on holiday via the West Somerset Railway
I mentioned in another one of my blogs about going on holiday by train when I was a child. Trains are still a big part of our family today. Last Summer, we had a walking holiday with HF holidays at Selworthy near Minehead. My wife suggested that we travel there by train alighting from the mainline […]
Recovery Fund Boost for Churnet Valley Railway
The Churnet Valley Railway is among more than 2,700 recipients to benefit from the latest round of awards from the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund. This award will secure the future of the railway following the global pandemic that has thwarted many heritage sites and operations around the country. The Churnet Valley Railway ‘CVR’ in […]
How to see the Best of Britain with a Railcard
The average Brit has seen just 32% of Great Britain, according to new research. Researchers commissioned by Railcard, which offers a third off train travel, looked at the areas of Great Britain and found most of us have seen less than a third of the country we live in.
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 […]
Discover how much luggage can you take on the train
How much luggage can you take on the train? Most passengers have no idea! The National Rail Conditions of Travel sets out passengers’ rights and responsibilities when traveling on rail services provided by franchised train companies. The vast majority of people who purchase rail tickets are unaware of these conditions. Rail tickets are endorsed subject […]