Sam Hewitt

‘King’ crowns Gloucs-Warks gala success as visitor records tumble

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

THERE was a certain historic irony to a Great Western ‘King’ sharing the spotlight with a locomotive named after Oliver Cromwell at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway’s (GWSR) gala on May 26-28 – an event which has smashed many records for the heritage line. The high-profile ‘Royal’ No. 6023 King Edward II and ‘Roundhead’ No. 70013 were…
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45231 to SVR for End of Steam commemoration

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

CREWE-based ‘Black Five’ No. 45231 The Sherwood Forester will be one of the star attractions at the Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) Last Days of Steam event on August 4, exactly 50 years on from British Rail’s last timetabled steam-hauled main line service. The event is being hailed as a commemoration of steam’s final fling, featuring 1968-surviving…
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How safety has moved on

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

Reading through some back issues of The Railway Magazine I came across the absolutely brilliant (and pre-1974 Health & Safety Act) photograph in April 1964 entitled ‘Relaying at Milford’. Readers will soon spot how many things are going on that would never be allowed today. Mike Bussell Yeovil, Somerset Mr Bussell refers to a photo…
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A few hours driving a Quarry Hunslet

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

While many enthusiasts are attracted by the lure of driving a standard gauge loco, Cliff Thomas takes the controls of narrow gauge ‘Quarry Hunslet’ Gwynedd with an unfitted goods train at Bressingham Museum… and finds it far from easy! An invitation by Bressingham Steam Museum trustee Robert Ellis to spend a few hours driving newly…
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Alternative fuels for trains

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

With the writing on the wall for diesel-powered trains and a lack of commitment from the Government for further electrification, Keith Fender looks at some of the alternative fuel options for new trains and trams. THE UK Government has announced it wants to phase out diesel-powered trains by 2040 – and the race is on…
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The Franco-Crosti story

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

The Franco-Crosti preheater was a brave yet ultimately unsuccessful attempt to increase the efficiency of the classic Stephensonian locomotive. Robert Humm charts its development in Italy, Great Britain and elsewhere Improving the efficiency of the steam locomotive by using waste heat to raise the temperature of the boiler feedwater was hardly a new idea. Joseph…
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THE AREA MANAGER’S DIARY

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

Career railwayman and Practice & Performance contributor John Heaton kept a detailed diary of the events – good and bad – during his role as a BR area manager, which is chronicled in book form. One memorable incident at Totnes is recalled here while maintaining an operational railway. During the 1980s I was enjoying my…
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Freight without frontiers: 20 years of Class 66

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Sam Hewitt

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11th July 2018

Two decades after the first examples landed at Immingham Docks, Ben Jones looks back at the development and the early years of the General Motors-built machines, and their effect on the railfreight industry in the UK and mainland Europe. Very few locomotives can claim to have revolutionised the freight operations of an entire country, but…
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End of the line for an icon: DB CLASS 103 FINALE

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Sam Hewitt

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10th July 2018

Fourteen years after the official end of regular duties, the main line diagrams of the hugely popular Deutsche Bahn Class 103 electrics have ended. Ben Jones takes a nostalgic last run behind this iconic class and pays homage to these magnificent machines. IT IS 04.59 on a chilly late-November morning. An early InterCity express to…
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RTC offer steam and diesel delights in both the UK and worldwide

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Sam Hewitt

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9th July 2018

The Railway Touring Company offers many different destinations within Europe, including Switzerland, France, Italy, Austria and Germany. Many of the trains are specially chartered for our tour party and some travel over unusual routes rarely used by passenger trains – an interesting variety of steam and diesel locomotives representing various track gauges are included. Each…
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Sam Hewitt

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