Steam
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GCR to become ‘Cromwell’s’ new custodian?
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THE 14-year relationship between ‘Britannia’ No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell and the 5305 Locomotive Association (5305LA) has come to an end. The BR Pacific’s owner, the National Railway Museum, has decreed the custodial agreement between the two organisations would not be extended. Instead responsibility for the locomotive could be passed directly to the Great Central Railway…
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Another U-turn as WSR plc sells 4110 to Dartmouth line
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THE saga surrounding the sale of West Somerset Railway (WSR)-based GWR 2-6-2T No. 4110 took another unexpected turn on February 3 when it was revealed the unrestored Large Prairie had been sold to the Dartmouth Steam Railway (DSR) at Paignton. The surprise announcement came just three weeks after the loco’s owner – West Somerset Railway…
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Double HRA awards for NER Autocar and Gloucs-Warks
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THE stunning restoration of North Eastern autocar No. 3170 and the extension of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway have both won two major awards at the annual Heritage Railway Association dinner. There were awards in a record 15 categories, which included a completely new award recognising the contribution of a young volunteer. The NER 1903 Electric…
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Remembering hero driver John Axon
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THE Bahamas Locomotive Society organised a civic reception at Stockport town hall to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the 1958 BBC broadcast of the Ballad of John Axon. The broadcast was an iconic production, way ahead of its time, written by folk singer and writer Ewan MacColl and arranged by his partner Peggy Seeger. John…
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Pioneering WSR Bagnall steams again on Tyneside
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A LOCOMOTIVE which worked on the West Somerset Railway in its early years has returned to steam after 11 years. Bagnall New Standard 18 class 0-6-0ST No. 2994 Vulcan, more recently known as No. 401 Thomas Burt MP, is now based at the North Tyneside Steam Railway, and was steamed on January 17 for the…
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Meenglass return boosts Derry railway revival hopes
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County Donegal Railway 2-6-4T No. 4 Meenglas returned to Derry during snowfall after a £45,000 year-long cosmetic facelift at the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland workshops at Whitehead. It will now be displayed again outside the Foyle Valley Railway Museum at a new, more prominent location beside Letterkenny Road, in an attempt to attract visitors.…
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60 years on, last day of Wye Valley line re-created in Leicestershire
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GWR pannier tank No. 6430 will make its final appearances during its current loan visit to the Battlefield Line during the February half-term period. The Llangollen Railway-based locomotive will run on February 16, 17, 20, 23 and 24 in the Battlefield Line’s first-ever February services. The line’s diesel railcar will also run on February 19…
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Restoration of Southern Railway paddle steamer Ryde sunk
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LAST November, Lisa-Marie Turner announced fundraising plans to find the estimated £5000 to pay for a detailed survey of the paddle steamer Ryde lying at Island Harbour Marina between Cowes and Newport. This was the second stage of her rescue plan for the historic vessel. The Southern Railway ordered PS Ryde in 1936 and it…
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Mansfield marks 200 years of England’s longest-running commercial line
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An EXHIBITION celebrating the 200th anniversary of the Mansfield & Pinxton Railway – claimed to be England’s oldest continuously running commercial railway – is being staged in Mansfield until March 2, with the help of a £90,000 Heritage Lottery Fund grant. More than 200 years ago, plans were mooted to link Mansfield to the expanding…
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Aln Valley a third of the way to buying Richboro
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THE Aln Valley Railway has raised a third of the £75,000 needed to complete the purchase of the locomotive which forms the mainstay of its steam services. Last year, the line launched the Friends of Richboro appeal to buy 1917-built Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0T Richboro from owner and AVR engineer Mick Fairnington. The appeal scheme sees…
