With the recent 50th anniversary of the end of steam traction on British Rail Southern Region the railwayblogger is delighted to bring you a guest post by Simon Shutt from the General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society. Over to Simon: Doesn’t it seem like a crime that the only UK steam locomotive to bear the word ‘steam’ […]
Heritage Railway
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 […]
Bath Railway Society Diamond Jubilee
On the 24th April 1957, some railway enthusiasts held an informal meeting in the Midland Hotel just opposite Bath Green Park station. Founding members included famous Somerset and Dorset photographers Ivo Peters and Alan Newman. The object was to form a society ‘……to further the interest in railways generally, and to seek out other persons interested in the subject in […]
Are you sitting comfortably?
Getting a seat on a train is one of the primary objectives when we wisely decide to travel by rail. The design thinking that goes into a seat is something most of us take for granted. That is, unless you’re restoring a railway carriage which requires the seats to be refitted after an absence of forty years and the seats need to be reupholstered. […]
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 […]
11 heritage railways you’ll want to visit
I’ve picked 11 heritage railways that I have visited and I can recommend. I think they all make for a great day out and I’ve highlighted what I think is special about each railway. Let me know which railways you have visited and what you think is the best feature of the railway. Note: in […]
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.
Baby Deltic history and rebirth
Baby Deltics or Class 23s as they became known have been mentioned by me on a previous post. Introduced in 1959, these Type 2 locomotives were part of the BR’s 1955 modernization plan for diesel locomotives. They are called Baby Deltics because they are 17ft shorter than the production Class 55 Deltics and they only have one engine rated at 1100hp. The class 55 Deltics have twin engines rated at 1650hp each. Thus the engine fitted […]
Do line side photographers make a contribution to Heritage Railway?
I’ve been making heritage railway contributions for many years both financial and volunteering. During this time I’ve made a lot of very good friends. Involvement in both restoration and operations has seen me putting in a great deal of physical effort. I’ve been in the fortunate position to make some small financial contributions too. I am a shareholder […]
Are you afraid to be a Heritage Railway volunteer?
Have you ever thought about being a heritage railway volunteer? Do you have a deep down desire to do more than just read about or observe locomotives and trains?