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 […]
‘I Would Have Done The Job For Nothing’ – Book Review
Over 40 years ago when I was Engineering Apprentice in Crewe Works, I had the opportunity to travel on a brand new High Speed Train (HST) set on a test run from Derby Litchurch Lane to York and Darlington. The engineer in charge who I met on arrival at Litchurch Lane Works was John Forrest.
Were the 1960s railway closures a conspiracy?
Many remember 1966 as the year England won the football world cup but as many know, it marked significant railway closures. In 1966 marked the closure of two iconic main lines. The Great Central, that marvel of railway engineering, and the much loved Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway.
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 […]