Sam Hewitt

AN EXPANDED station, additional tracks and new flyover junctions to increase capacity at East Croydon have moved a step closer after Network Rail secured Government funding to design the remodelling scheme. The project is the central element of NR’s Brighton Main Line upgrade, designed to deliver major improvements in punctuality and capacity between London, Gatwick…

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A THREE-year project involving IoM Railways staff and volunteers to restore 1898-vintage Manx Electric Railway (MER) ‘Ratchet Car’ No. 14 will come to fruition in time for the September 1-8 125th anniversary of the MER celebrations. The project is the first time volunteers and MER in-house engineers have worked together on rolling stock restoration. Volunteers…

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JAMES Evans’ ex-Dinorwic Hunslet 0-4-0ST Velinheli is now at Ffestiniog Railway’s Boston Lodge works, where a new boiler will be constructed. The move follows Velinheli’s appearance at London King’s Cross station in February as part of a FR promotion. Mr Evans has owned Velinheli since 1965 and wants the firebox to be of traditional flanged…

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THE Statfold Narrow Gauge Trust (SNGT) was inaugurated during a grand opening of the reconstructed museum building (The Roundhouse) at Statfold Barn Railway on March 10. Steps towards formation of a trust began last year (RM April 2017) with SNGT securing the future of the unique collection assembled at Statfold by Graham Lee. SNGT trustees…

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THE so-called ‘Beast from the East’ weather front and the subsequent arrival of Storm Emma hit Iarnród Éireann-Irish Rail (IÉ) services hard in early March, with numerous cancellations across the network. As the freezing temperatures and snow settled in on February 28, IÉ cancelled afternoon and evening services between Dublin Connolly and Maynooth, while trains…

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AN EXCITING project has been announced by the Downpatrick & County Down Railway to preserve and operate one of the last Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) 80 Class railcar sets. This development means the future of a significant part of Ulster’s railway heritage has been secured. The 80 Class, or ‘Thumpers’ as they were nicknamed, were…

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ROBERT Stephenson & Hawthorns 0-6-0T No. 7151 has begun the journey towards a return to steam at the Avon Valley Railway (AVR), helped along the way by a four-coupled Kerr, Stuart well tank. On February 24, the AVR ran an extra steam day, featuring Bill Parker’s 0-4-0WT Willy (3063/1918) as sole motive power. The special trains…

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THE oldest surviving standard gauge Hunslet 0-6-0ST – No. 469 Hastings of 1888 – will have its restoration completed at the workshops of the Elsecar Heritage Railway (EHR), near Barnsley. The former contractors’ engine, which for many years was a resident at the Kent & East Sussex Railway, arrived at Elsecar on March 7 following…

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TYSELEY’s flagship Collett 4-6-0 No. 7029 Clun Castle will be the star of a special steaming at the former 48E shed on April 14 as further promotion for the Vintage Trains Community Benefit Society. The newly overhauled ‘Castle’ will be positioned and working in various locations around the site from midday to 16.00, including on…

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PEPPERCORN ‘A1’ Pacific No. 60163 Tornado surpassed the 100,000 mile mark during its recent visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The magic moment occurred just outside Pickering on March 11 when No. 60163 was working the last train of the day to Grosmont. The mileage milestone is a significant achievement for the loco and…

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