Sam Hewitt

IN RAILWAY heritage terms, giant is too small a word to describe Sir William McAlpine. The man was quite simply a colossus. Described variously as ‘Britain’s greatest railway enthusiast’, ‘Preservation’s best friend’ and ‘Champion of the heritage sector’, he bestrode the world of steam in a way no-one else is ever likely to again. Perhaps…

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EVERAL days of snow, sub-zero temperatures and high winds at the start of March from a weather system nicknamed ‘Beast from the East’ combined with Storm Emma to create some of the most horrendous winter weather the UK has seen for years. The conditions wreaked havoc on large parts of the railway network between February…

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£71,800 award from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has kick-started the Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) project to carry out essential restoration work to the photogenic seven-arch Falling Sands Viaduct, near Kidderminster. The 141-year-old structure dates from 1877 and carries the railway 64ft above the River Stour and the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal conservation area. However,…

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By Cliff Thomas EXMOOR National Park Authority (ENPA) has approved Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Trust’s planning application to reinstate the iconic 2ft-gauge line between Killington Lane and Blackmoor Gate. The March 6 meeting of ENPA, held in Lynton Town Hall, not only approved the 3½-mile extension of the line from Killington Lane – the terminus…

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GWR has started testing the short 2+4 HST sets following completion of the conversion of the initial batch of carriages from slam door to plug doors at Wabtec Doncaster. On March 19-22, the four trailers and two power cars – Nos. 43016 and 43093 (Old Oak Common) – worked with trailer Nos. 48101 (ex-42168), 48102 (42177), 48111…

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BY THE time this issue of The Railway Magazine hits the newsstands, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s extension to Broadway will be officially open. Lord Faulkner of Worcester was to have the honour of formally opening the re-created station on March 30, unveiling a commemorative plaque, before the line’s flagship locomotive – ‘Modified Hall’ No. 7903 Foremarke…

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SIEMENS could build a new train assembly and commissioning facility in Goole if it is successful in winning further orders for the UK market. The German company, which announced its intention to merge its train building business with Alstom last year, has signed a long-term agreement to lease a 67-acre site close to the M62…

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