Great Western Railway
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Didcot formally launches ‘Saint’ Lady of Legend
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THE Great Western Society (GWS) marked the completion of its re-created Churchward ‘Saint’ in early April with a series of special commemorative events at Didcot Railway Centre. Supporters of the project were invited to a preview day on April 3 to see No. 2999 Lady of Legend in steam, with the opportunity to become among…
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Practice and Performance: City of Truro – Final, final thoughts?
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A Practice & Performance Extra article in The RM August 2015 threw new light on the location where Charles Rous-Marten claimed to have recorded a quarter mile in 8.8secs (effectively 102.3mph) by City of Truro with the ‘Ocean Mails’ special. In essence, the platelayers that caused a brake application appeared to have been at Bradford-on-Avon…
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Building on the Broadway
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The 12 months since the opening of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s extension to Broadway have seen numerous records broken, with the line continuing to reap the benefits of its connection with the picturesque Cotswolds village. Gary Boyd-Hope went along to find out how the railway has risen to the challenge, and what lessons have been…
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Sentry at the Gate: How the North Warwickshire Line avoided closure
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Fifty years ago this month, the Court of Appeal imposed an injunction on the British Railways Board which prevented them from withdrawing passenger services between Tyseley and Stratford-upon-Avon. Fraser Pithie tells the fascinating tale of how the actions of several campaigners thwarted BR’s closure ‘by stealth’ bid in 1969. THREE years after the publication of…
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Helston gets historic St Austell GWR footbridge
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ST AUSTELL station’s landmark GWR footbridge is to stay in Cornwall after all – having been moved to the award-winning Helston Railway. There had been calls for the 1882 riveted iron lattice footbridge to remain in the duchy as part of its heritage, despite it being superseded by a new £500,000 fully-accessible footbridge five years…
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Caley Blue 419 adds Broadway to English tour
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Caledonian Railway 0-4-4T No. 419 has added the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s Cotswold Festival of Steam to its biggest-ever tour of England. No. 419 will star in the May 25-27 festival alongside another blue guest, GWR 4-6-0 No. 6023 Edward II from Didcot Railway Centre. A third guest will be B1 4-6-0 No. 1260 from the…
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County of Montgomery group aiming for £40,000 with driving wheels appeal
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THE Churchward County Trust (CCT) is hoping to build on the success of its first year by launching a new ‘Forty 4-4-0s Club’ to raise the £40,000 required to cast the four coupled wheels for new-build GWR 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery. All the platework required to assemble the main frames is cut and ready…
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SVR opens Bridgnorth refreshment room
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A NEW refreshment room at the Severn Valley Railway’s Bridgnorth station has opened for business. The brick-built structure has been funded through the railway’s successful £2.5million share offer, launched in 2016. It replaces the temporary buildings that face the car park. The refreshment room is designed in a GWR style of around 1900, and…
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Bombardier to fit ETCS kit on Heathrow Express ‘387s’
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PORTERBROOK has signed a contract with Bombardier Transportation to fit ETCS digital signalling equipment to Great Western Railway Class 387 EMUs, which are being converted for Heathrow Express services. The investment by Porterbrook is valued at £11million. GWR is having 12 Class 387s converted for the airport express work, with No. 387140 having already been…
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Great Steam Engineers of the 19th century: Part Four
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In the 1850s, railway companies grew bigger through new construction and mergers.
