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 […]
Behind the scenes at Herston Works
Some time ago, Nick Thompson one of the directors from Southern Locomotives Ltd (SLL) invited me to Herston Works at Swanage to assist with the restoration of their locomotives. SLL own five Bulleid Pacifics and a BR Standard Tank. Restoration is primarily undertaken at Herston Works adjacent to, but not rail connected, to the Swanage Railway. The Swanage Railway also use the facility to carry out overhauls on locomotives. Herston Works […]
British Rail Eastern Region Rover
I have travelled on the railways of East Anglia many times over the years. In the early 1970s, British Rail Eastern Region marketed the East Anglian Ranger Ticket. This gave seven days unlimited travel throughout Norfolk and Suffolk although on weekdays it wasn’t valid until after 8:45am.
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!
We need to restore railway branch lines
The need to restore railway branch lines is greater than ever. I have touched on the destruction of railway lines in the 1960’s in my post on conspiracies and railway closures. Clearly the railway was losing money due to many factors. There remains the view that uneconomic branch lines should remain closed simply because they lost money 50 […]
The Remarkable Survival of Steam Locomotive 80150
Steam locomotive 80150 is a remarkable survivor. She nearly did not make it into the world. 80150 was part of the last batch of five Standard 4 Tanks ever built. British Railways tried to cancel this build due to the impending dieselisation. However, the construction was so far advanced that this final batch had to be […]
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:
Telford Steam Railway Rolling Stock
The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) in Shropshire is based at Horsehay which was once served by passenger trains operating between Wellington and Craven Arms (part of the Great Western Railway) a distance of around 28 miles.
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 […]
20 Easy Ways To Save Money on Train Travel
Lots of people tell me that they think that train travel is expensive and they want to save money on trains. Using my tips and tricks, you can get cheap train travel. Train travel is the best way to travel. I can relax whilst someone else drives and let the train take the strain. The facilities […]
How to build a model railway shed
If you have seen my post introducing to my model railway, then you will know I have included a model of Bath Green Park locomotive shed. I am going to explain how I built this model railway shed.
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 […]