News
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Last steam trip tops bill in District line 150 celebrations
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THE last steam-hauled passenger rides through the central section of London Underground will be run as part of a series of events to celebrate the District line’s 150th anniversary. The modernisation of signalling on the Hammersmith & City, District, Circle and Metropolitan lines means this will be the last time a steam train will be…
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Simon Marsh appointed KESR chairman – 50 years after first role as a volunteer
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By Geoff Courtney RETIRED civil servant Simon Marsh has been appointed chairman of the Kent & East Sussex Railway (KESR) , nearly 50 years after he started volunteering in the railway’s souvenir shop. The 61-year-old, who lives in Sandwich with his wife Sandra, a priest, has had an interest in railways since his earliest days.…
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Arctic blasts cannot halt GC gala action!
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THE Great Central Railway’s winter steam gala has for many years built up an enviable reputation for being the ‘first big event’ of the heritage calendar. The sector traditionally follows the example set by nature and goes to sleep in the weeks following the festive season, giving a breathing space for locomotive, stock and infrastructure…
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Bahamas: just the ticket!
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BACK in January the dates for the main line proving runs for newly-outshopped Jubilee 4-6-0 No.45596 Bahamas were continually pegged back, mainly it was understood, due to TPWS problems. At least six trips were pencilled in from January 15 – a Tyseley to Stratford-upon-Avon trip for starters, followed by a run around the Tyseley circuit…
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Yet another steam fleet addition for the Moors
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By Roger Melton AFTER many years of operating with the Lambton, Hetton & Joicey 0-6-2Ts as its smallest steam engines, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has added Cockerill 0-4-0T tram engine Lucie to its fleet – primarily to act as a self-propelling steam heating plant. Now a second industrial tank is poised to be…
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New company formed to restore ‘forgotten’ Barry Standard 4MT
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A NEW company has been formed to overhaul and ultimately operate the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway-based BR Standard 4MT 2-6-0 No. 76077. Considered for a long time to be one of the ‘lost’ ex-Barry locomotives since it arrived at Toddington in 1987 when the engine was dismantled and some work was done, it had been stored…
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New Broadway footbridge taking shape at fast pace
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EXCLUSIVE By Ian Crowder PROGRESS at the award-winning Broadway station has just taken a big leap forward… at least visually. Platform 2 at the station, which remains out of use to passengers this year, has not only been cleared of the signalling and communications equipment stored on the platform, but the basic structure for the…
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Soaraway Broadway success makes Glos Warks best in Britain
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REMARKABLE figures which showed that passenger numbers on the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway rose by 42.5% in the wake of the Good Friday opening of the northern extension to Broadway have brought the coveted Heritage Railway Association’s Annual Award (Large Groups) 2019 to the Cotswold Line. The figures rose from 101,000 in 2017 to more than…
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Wensleydale beckons for resurgent Tornado
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THE A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s flagship Peppercorn Pacific No. 60163 Tornado will break new ground for the type later this month when it visits the Wensleydale Railway (WR). Tornado ventured back onto the main line on January 15 – the first time since its failure on the ‘Ebor Flyer’ last April. This move followed lengthy repairs…
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Loaded test runs for 80097 after hot ’box troubles
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RIDDLES ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80097 was back on test at the East Lancashire Railway as 2019 got underway, having been side-lined with axlebox problems in November. The Bury Standard 4 Group loco began running-in trials following its post-restoration appearance at the ELR’s October 19-21 Autumn Steam Gala, but had to be withdrawn on November 14 when…
