Steam
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Appeal to save North British 4-8-2 tank engine
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THE UK-based North British Loco (NBL) Preservation Group has announced an urgent appeal for funds to preserve North British-built, heavy duty 4-8-2T locomotive No. 25916. The 1,067mm-gauge loco was one of 42 similar locos built for industrial use in South Africa between 1929 and 1955. Over the years, most of them have been scrapped, but the…
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New lease of life for former TEE coaches in Cuba
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FRENCH and Cuban railways agreed in mid-2018 to co-operate in renovating workshops at Luyanó and Camagüey in Cuba, and to refurbish the former French Railways (SNCF) Trans-Europ-Express (TEE) ‘Inox-TEE’ stainless steel carriages, which SNCF sold to Cuba in the late-1990s. The TEE vehicles were built in the 1960s and once operated the most prestigious international…
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Steam heat returns (briefly) to main line in Spain
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STEAM-heated mainline trains are now almost extinct across Europe but for a few days in late-January a charter train in Spain re-created the old atmosphere. UK rail holiday operator PTG Tours celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first rail tour by running the train in Spain. It was operated by open access operator ALSA Rail,…
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Swindon Works horse dray found
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A GWR horse dray has been discovered in a domestic garage in Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, having been stored there since the early 1960s. It was among the property of a deceased gentleman who formerly worked for the railway at Swindon Works. An ideal museum or large collection item, the sprung-mounted dray bears the works…
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Swindon & Cricklade launches appeal to refurbish Mk.1 disabled coach Laura
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THE Swindon & Cricklade Railway has launched an appeal for funds to renovate one of its most important and popular Mk.1 carriages. For many years, the line has run a modified 60ft carriage, built in Swindon Works, for disabled passengers and wheelchair users. It was named Laura at the request of the Hills Group, the…
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Mystery boiler dug up in Omagh could be from GNR(I) loco
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By Hugh Dougherty A STEAM locomotive boiler dug up by contractors working at the site of the former locomotive shed at Omagh, County Tyrone, on February 8, might have come from a Great Northern Railway of Ireland locomotive. However, a mystery now surrounds the find, for Omagh shed – which closed 54 years ago on…
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It’s safety first for Kent & East Sussex’s new board member
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By Geoff Courtney NEIL SIME, the founder and managing director of UK train operator Victa Railfreight, has been appointed safety director of the Kent & East Sussex Railway, the second senior post to be filled by the heritage line this year. The 57-year-old has been involved with the KESR as a volunteer since it ran…
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New chairman for the Great Western Society
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RICHARD Preston has been welcomed as the new chairman of the Great Western Society. At its board meeting on January 27, he replaced Richard Croucher, who retired as chairman and a director after 18 years. Richard Preston has been active in railway preservation since 1968 – both at Didcot Railway Centre, where he was locomotive…
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Boiler for new Southwold Blyth now taking shape
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RAPID progress on building a boiler for replica Southwold Railway 2-4-0T Blyth is now being made – and the locomotive could steam by the end of next year. As reported in issue 244, NBR Engineering Services, the engineering arm of Scarborough’s North Bay Railway, has been contracted to build the new version of 3ft gauge…
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Fresh appeal for cash and help for Boughton extension
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To help complete its long-awaited southern extension to a station alongside the A5199, the Northampton & Lamport Railway is appealing for funds of £18,000. Building work on the first 30-yard section of the new platform at Boughton is already underway, but more money is needed, along with new volunteers – especially anyone with bricklaying experience.…
