Sam Hewitt

THE Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway (P&BR) took delivery of the newest addition to its steam fleet on September 13, just in time for the line’s steam gala on the 14th and 15th. Bagnall 0-6-0ST Empress (3061/1954) made the move from the Lavender Line at Isfield, East Sussex, following its acquisition for use on the South…

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FORMER Taff Vale Railway ‘O2’ class 0-6-2T No. 85 made a triumphal return to South Wales during the weekend of September 14-16 to take part in the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway’s (P&BR) Autumn Steam Gala. The 1899-built Neilson Reid locomotive, which today is part of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway fleet, last worked between Cardiff…

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THE Churchward County Trust (CCT) has launched a new targeted appeal to raise £10,000 to cover the cost of machining the frame plates for new-build GWR ‘County’ class 4-4-0 County of Montgomery. The frame plates were due to be cut by Tata Steel of Wednesfield in late September, having been financed by members of the…

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JOHN Cameron’s Gresley ‘A4’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa and the Battle of Britain Locomotive Society’s Bulleid 4-6-2 No. 34081 92 Squadron paired up again for the second time in a year at the Nene Valley Railway’s Steam in Green weekend on September 1-2. The two Pacifics were in charge of all trains during the day,…

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SHAREHOLDERS in the Bluebell Railway were treated to an advanced look inside the new Accessible Steam Heritage (ASH) museum at Sheffield Park during early September, ahead of its planned opening during October. Part funded by a £1.1million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the facility provides an accessible home for several of the railway’s out-of-use…

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SEMI-restored Great Western Railway ‘2884’ class 2-8-0 No. 3814 was expected to have left the North Yorkshire Moors Railway by the time this issue of The RM went to press. It is bound for the Llangollen Railway, where its stalled restoration will hopefully restart. The 1940-built heavy freight loco has been the subject of a near…

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CRIMSON Lake-liveried ‘Princess Coronation’ No. 6233 Duchess of Sutherland made its post-overhaul debut during a special unveiling at the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust’s (PRCLT) West Shed at Swanwick Junction on September 9, just eight days after its first steaming. Resplendent in its new LMS livery, No. 6233 subsequently completed three days of running-in trials at the…

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THE 50th anniversary Great Dorset Steam Fair in August played host to no fewer than four steam locomotives – three standard gauge and one narrow – with one even operating on a length of specially laid track. On static display were Jonathan Jones-Pratt’s unrestored BR(W) ‘Castle’ No. 7027 Thornbury Castle, which was the centrepiece of a…

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THE A1 Steam Locomotive Trust’s (A1SLT) proposed project to construct the third member of Sir Nigel Gresley’s LNER ‘V4’ class of 2-6-2s is underway following the formation of subsidiary company the V4 Steam Locomotive Company Ltd to oversee the new locomotive’s construction. Work on No. 3403, the A1SLT’s third new-build, is expected to begin as soon…

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