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 […]
Lulled By The Sound Of Steam
When I was a child I remember seeing Peter Hanford’s LP’s of steam railway sounds in record shops. Peter was a
Steam Locomotive Restoration of Merchant Navy 35011
I’m pleased to be able to welcome back as guest blogger Simon Shutt to give an update on the steam locomotive restoration of Merchant Navy locomotive 35011 General Steam Navigation Since the first report on this steam locomotive restoration, the Society has made excellent progress towards returning 35011 to her pre-rebuilding condition. Locomotive Nameplates One of […]
Exclusive access to Eastleigh Works
In the early 1990s I worked at Eastleigh Depot in Hampshire with some excellent railway engineers. I hadn’t seen one of them, Barry Stephens, for over twenty-five years but lately social media kept us in touch. Eastleigh Depot is just across the road from Eastleigh Works. Barry is the Managing Director and was instrumental in putting Eastleigh Works back on the railway map. I had seen him […]
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!
Can You Help Preserve Railway History?
Historically, railway accidents were common and many of the health and safety rules that we have today did not exist. Volunteers are now being sought to help tell the sad and costly story behind Britain’s railway age – the deaths and injuries suffered by many thousands of mainly men who operated the railways. Historian Mike […]
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.
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 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 […]
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 […]
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.
How to make your model railway look realistic
1) People To achieve a realistic model railway the presence of people is essential. They need to be in trains, on stations, in the depot and working on the track. In particular, people on trains seems to bring the trains alive. I have often seen superb detailing where much thought has gone into the track and […]
Testing Diesel Locomotives at Crewe Works
The last period of my duration in the erecting shop at Crewe Works included a time spent in the company of the Finished Work Inspectors ( FWI ). They conducted sequence testing of the electrical control systems on the locomotives. One Inspector I remember was Joe Beadle. The purpose of these tests was to ensure that […]