Sam Hewitt

A SPECIALLY created ‘fire train’ and fire safety procedures implemented by the Foxfield Railway enabled the Staffordshire line’s July 21-22 Summer Steam Gala to proceed virtually incident free in spite of the ongoing heatwave. Star billing was shared between former Brookes Chemical Company, Halifax, Hunslet 0-6-0ST Brookes No. 1 (2387/1941), visiting from the Middleton Railway,…

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THE Middleton Railway will mark the 50th anniversary of the closure of Middleton Broom Colliery with a commemorative Last Coals to Leeds gala, featuring Foxfield Railway-based Hunslet ‘Austerity 0-6-0ST No. 7 Wimblebury (3839/1956). The former NCB Cannock Wood Colliery loco will be the star attraction over the weekend of September 29-30, at what will be the…

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OVERHAUL of Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway-based McIntosh 439 class 0-4-4T No. 419 has entered the home straight as the railway prepares for its grand Caledonian Railway Reunion gala on November 2-4. Remaining work on the ‘Caley’ tank is largely cosmetic, as seen in this August 21 view, with much of the paintwork now complete as No. 419…

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AUGUST marked 50 years since BR’s final withdrawal of standard gauge steam and a number of heritage lines held events or operated trains to commemorate the anniversary. The Great Central Railway was in full-on re-creation mode during the weekends of August 4-5 and 11-12, which half a century earlier had seen both BR’s last steam-hauled…

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NEW-BUILD Churchward ‘Saint’ No. 2999 Lady of Legend made a surprise appearance in the open air on August 7, providing an opportunity to see the new 4-6-0 in near-complete condition. It had been removed from the workshop to facilitate the boiler lift of ‘8750’ 0-6-0PT No. 3650, but was returned once the pannier was out…

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THE South Devon Railway (SDR) has released further details of its plans to completely overhaul and/or replace the workshop and maintenance facilities at Buckfastleigh. Planning applications have been submitted to Teignbridge District Council for the next two phases of the site development, the first of which is for the new restoration hub building. This will…

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ONE of the 1926-produced LNER nameplates carried by celebrity ‘A3’ Pacific Flying Scotsman during its pre-preservation career is going under the hammer in Pershore on November 17. The solid brass plate, which replaced those originally fitted to the then ‘A1’ in 1924, was carried on the right-hand side, and carries a lifetime of knocks and…

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COVENANTORS and supporters of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust were the first to lay eyes on newly wheeled Gresley ‘P2’ No. 2007 Prince of Wales during a celebration to mark the 10th anniversary of ‘A1’ Tornado at Darlington Locomotive Works at the end of July. The four completed 6ft 2in wheelsets left the workshops of…

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THE heyday of holiday trains over the former Ruabon to Barmouth route will provide the inspiration for the Llangollen Railway’s October 12-14 steam gala. Along Cambrian Lines 2 will celebrate the final decades of the cross-country line, which conveyed holidaymakers from the likes of Cheshire, the Wirral and Manchester to the Cambrian coast for almost…

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