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 […]
Railway Blog
Railway blog about heritage railway including steam and diesel locomotives. Other subjects include today's railways and model railway.
Reviews of heritage railways in the UK.
Biographical recounts of journeys taken in the 1970's and 1980's.
A railwayman's thoughts on today's modern railways.
Detail from my model railway.
Original Railway Posters Exhibition
An exhibition of 40 vintage railway posters celebrating Britain’s ‘Golden Age of Travel’ opens from 19th March to the 26th June 2022 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapels and Gardens, County Durham. Edinburgh to London & Beyond is a collection of original railway posters from the 1920’s through to the 1950’s. All sourced from private collections, […]
LNER Class A4 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley at SVR
LNER Class A4 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley has been confirmed as the third guest locomotive at the Severn Valley Railway’s Spring Steam Gala between 21st and 24th April. Its potential appearance at the SVR’s first major event of 2022 has been the subject of much recent speculation and debate, and the news comes as a real coup […]
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 […]
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 […]
Should Steam Train Photography Be Black And White Or Colour?
A guest post by Colin Wallace of Railway Photos Black and white steam train photography has of course been around a lot longer than colour. Now we live in a time where colour is a possibility and the default option of a modern camera. However, many people prefer to have steam train photos developed in black and […]
Steam Train Photography Top Tips
Taking great photos of steam locomotives can be a challenge! Often someone steps into the frame at the last minute or the loco is passing so quickly, it’s hard to get a decent shot. So I’m delighted to bring you a guest blog post from Colin Wallace of Railway Photography who has been taking great […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]