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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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.
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.
Restoring Class 08 Shunter Locomotives at the NNR
The London Midland and Scottish Railway in partnership with English Electric designed the 350hp 0-6-0 shunting locomotive in the 1940s. A few of these earlier locomotives still survive including Class 1 12131 built at Darlington in 1952, at the North Norfolk Railway. North Norfolk Railway Also at the North Norfolk Railway are two of the […]
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 […]
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.
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 […]
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!
Rebuilding Stanier Black Five 45163
I’m delighted to bring you a guest post by Jeremy Dunn who is the Chairman of the Stanier Black Five 45163 Restoration Group and also a volunteer driver at the West Somerset Railway. Black Five photos are my own from the 1980s to show these locomotives in steam.
Kings Cross Suburban Railway DVD Review
Recently, I saw an advert for a video by Transport Video Publishing called Kings Cross Suburban Railway. 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 […]
Let’s thank Beeching for our steam railways today
We owe the successful steam railways of today to the Government’s policy of railway closures enforced by Beeching.