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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Relaxing on the Caledonian Sleeper Train
Over recent years the overnight sleeper train has made a significant comeback. Many people have opted to travel this way over other methods. Not only is it a very civilized and stress free way to travel, it can be cost-effective.
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.
An Odyssey in Steam Book Review
For decades, the world has been treated to railway paintings by renowned artists such as Terence Cuneo, Don Breckon and David Shepherd. I’ve even had the pleasure of briefly meeting David on a couple of occasions. Recently, I became aware of another artist whose works have been captured in his latest book An Odyssey in […]
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:
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.
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 […]
The locomotive BR preferred to forget
For some reason the Metropolitan Vickers Co-Bo Class 28 locomotives have always held a fascination for me. Perhaps because it is one of the few BR 1955 modernization plan locomotive types which I have never seen operating. Maybe it is the unique look of both the front end. It could be the different bogies – one has three […]
Do you agree with my list of top ten steam locomotives?
Do you agree with my list of top ten steam locomotives? Some locos have held a special place in my heart over the years. I’d like to know what your favourite is and whether it’s on my list or not?
Restoring steam locomotive Sidmouth to her former glory
The railwayblogger is delighted to bring you a guest post by Nick Thompson a director and volunteer of Southern Locomotives Limited. Nick grew up in the 1950s and 60s in Woking and his dad worked on the railway as the fire protection officer for this part of the system and steam locomotives were always the bane of his […]
A highland railway journey DVD review
Every so often in life, an absolute gem turns up! In this case is a DVD of a journey over the Scottish Highlands by train in the mid 1960s. The DVD was filmed in an era when steam had all but disappeared on our railways. At this time many railway photographers had put away their cameras. […]
1970s railway enthusiast trip
I loved to travel on British Rail trains in the 1970s. In May 1971, when I was 13, we went on a two-week family holiday to Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset. We travelled by train as we had no car. We sent our luggage by rail passengers luggage in advance (PLIA). It always turned up at our destination! I […]
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!