Sam Hewitt

THE 10¼in-gauge Hastings Miniature Railway (HMR) held a 70th anniversary gala on June 2-3, with all available resident locos joined by visitors. These were No. 6100 Royal Scot, from the private Ingfield Light Railway, West Sussex (similar to the original HMR Bassett-Lowke loco of 1938); Firefly, the original HMR Bullock 0-6-0; and Meteor IV (Shepperton 2-4w-2DM),…

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THE 10¼in-gauge Watford Miniature Railway has a steam loco again after many years absence. No. 7 Marri was built for the railway by Willis Light Engineering of Perth, Australia (No. 46 of 1993) and re-entered service at Cassiobury Park, Hertfordshire on April 14-15. It was withdrawn for overhaul in 2003, but remained dismantled, with parts stored at…

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AN HISTORIC bell located at the top of Runcorn’s 150-year-old Britannia railway bridge has been removed by helicopter ahead for restoration. The navigation bell, which used to sound in foggy weather to warn approaching ships of the viaduct’s location, was removed in mid-June as part of the £6million restoration of the viaduct. It is being…

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PREPARATIONS for the introduction of Intercity Express Trains (IETs) on the East Coast Main Line from December have passed two major milestones in recent weeks. Network Rail engineers have completed gauge clearance work over more than 1,700 miles of ECML and diversionary routes, including 3,000 sets of switches and crossings and 800 bridges and structures…

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WORK to upgrade the 1.5-mile Halton Curve near Runcorn was completed as planned over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, allowing preparations to start for new passenger services from December. Completed on time and within budget, the £18.75million project restores the long-neglected link for use in both directions, enabling a new hourly Wales & Borders service…

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RED Rose Steam Society volunteers hope to offer passenger rides on the railway at Lancashire Mining Museum (former Astley Green Colliery) by mid-summer. Some 400metres of track has been relaid and a small passenger platform constructed. A further 400m of track will also be relaid and ballasted. Three locos were in action providing shunting demonstrations…

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THE original Dorman 4JO four-cylinder petrol engine in Greensand Railway Museum Trust’s (GRMT) 40hp petrol ‘Armoured’ Simplex LR2182 (MR 461/1917) was started for the first time in more than half a century on May 27. The engine was seized after decades out of use (RM March 2017) and when stripped found to have suffered significant…

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MAY 19 was an historic day for the Downpatrick & County Down Railway as it was able to have both of its former Cómhlucht Siúicre Éireann Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0Ts in steam together for the first time since they arrived at Downpatrick in 1987. Former Cómhlucht Siúicre Éireann (Mallow) Orenstein & Koppel 0-4-0T No. 3 (12662/1935)…

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