Features

  • From the archive: Restoring Thornbury Castle, no busman’s holiday

    From the archive: Restoring Thornbury Castle, no busman’s holiday

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    It came as a great surprise to many when The Railway Magazine broke the news last August that unrestored GWR ‘Castle’ No. 7027 Thornbury Castle had been sold to a 32-year-old enthusiast from Weston-super-Mare. Twelve months on and Jonathan Jones-Pratt is about to embark on the loco’s restoration, so Gary Boyd-Hope went to find out what the…

  • From the archive: Still growling  on  –  Modern traction preservation

    From the archive: Still growling on – Modern traction preservation

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    There is no doubt that diesels are an integral part of railway preservation but this was not always the case. Brian Sharpe delves into the increasingly complex world of British main line diesel preservation. On May 24, 1973, WR Warship B-B diesel-hydraulic D821 Greyhound became the first BR main line diesel locomotive to be purchased…

  • Big-chimney ‘Nelsons’ in BR guise

    Big-chimney ‘Nelsons’ in BR guise

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    Hornby’s highly regarded OO-gauge models of the four-cylinder ‘Lord Nelson’ express passenger 4-6-0s have now appeared in British Railways guise, and are reviewed by Nigel Burkin.

  • Five things you didn’t know about Apollo 11’s return

    Five things you didn’t know about Apollo 11’s return

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    Rail enthusiast or not, it would take a lot to miss all of the coverage in recent news about the celebratory anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission to the moon.

  • Isle of Man Railways: Manx on the Up!

    Isle of Man Railways: Manx on the Up!

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    The Isle of Man is a piece of forgotten Britain. Those were the words of an elderly female coach tour passenger I talked to while travelling on the Manx Electric Railway in early April. She’s not wrong either.

  • Railtours remembered: The Metropolitan Special

    Railtours remembered: The Metropolitan Special

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    In the first of an occasional new series, Andrew Royle looks back to a forgotten railtour over London Transport’s Metropolitan line in 1954.

  • Retaining heritage skills for the future

    Retaining heritage skills for the future

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    In our latest feature about apprentices at the Severn Valley Railway, The RM visits the loco shed at Bridgnorth to meet 22-year-old Max Green, who started at the SVR when he was just 16. Max graduated from his engineering apprenticeship almost two years ago. “In the six years that I’ve been here, I’ve managed to…

  • Caledonian Sleeper’s Mk5 stock: an overnight sensation?

    Caledonian Sleeper’s Mk5 stock: an overnight sensation?

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    Caledonian Sleeper’s new Mk5 stock has rarely been out of the headlines since it was introduced. Ben Jones takes a ride on this new generation of Spanish-built overnight stock to see if it delivers on its promises of a quality hotel experience. Having been in decline for decades, killed off by indifference, variable quality, high…

  • Heritage profile: The Wensleydale Railway

    Heritage profile: The Wensleydale Railway

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    Running through some of the best scenery North Yorkshire offers, the Wensleydale Railway is a relative newcomer to the heritage and tourist railway sector. Graeme Pickering finds out more about its growth and expansion plans. A train ride is undoubtedly the main highlight of a trip to a heritage line, but with railways increasingly trying…

  • Return of the Brighton Belle

    Return of the Brighton Belle

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    Restoring a 1930s all-electric Pullman train for use on the mainline is a project where the 5BEL Trust has faced and overcome numerous challenges. With the luxury train now being prepared for testing, Andy Coward brings us up-to-date with this ambitious restoration. Work on the restoration of four ‘Brighton Belle’ coaches is nearing completion, as…


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