Sam Hewitt

Flour Mill to overhaul boiler of Collett ’56XX’ No. 6695

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

BILL Parker’s Flour Mill workshop has begun the overhaul of Collett ‘56XX’ 0-6-2T No. 6695’s boiler following its move from the West Somerset Railway’s Williton works on January 26. Since the boiler’s arrival in the Forest of Dean Flour Mill engineers have removed the steel stays from the known problem areas of the outer wrapper. The…
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Aln Valley to triple its working steam fleet

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

NORTHUMBERLAND’S Aln Valley Railway will take delivery of its second operational steam locomotive in mid-March when Hunslet ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No. 60 (3686/1948) arrives from the nearby works of Ian Storey in Hepscott, near Morpeth. The former National Coal Board locomotive is owned by Stephen Wood and began its preservation career at the Strathspey Railway, where Mr…
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R H N HARDY: 1923-2018

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

RICHARD Hardy, who died on February 18, aged 94, was one of the last remaining professional links with the ‘Big Four’ and a railwayman who commanded as much respect in the preservation era as he did during his illustrious career with the LNER and British Railways. Known affectionately in his autumn years as ‘the Grand…
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Moving in, moving on, moving out

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

Britain’s train fleet is undergoing its biggest transformation since the 1950s, with around 5,700 new vehicles being delivered or on order. Ben Jones looks at what we’ll be seeing on the rails over the next few years and how it will affect existing trains. If you keep an eye on the railway press, the large…
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Passenger views of new train seats

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

AS THE editor has previously commented about the seats and their positions on new trains’ seats entering service, here is a passenger point of view. Whoever has designed the new Class 800s has never actually travelled on a train, or at least not for some distance. The seats in Standard Class are worse than sitting…
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Live train watching from the comfort of your armchair

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

A fast-growing website is bringing the UK’s lineside into the homes of rail enthusiasts across the world – Aidan Goldstraw logs on to Railcam UK It began with an unexpected Christmas present. Among the items in Alex Howarth’s stocking that year was a security camera. For a while, he wondered what on earth to…
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Hydrogen train trial for UK by 2020

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

Following the recent announcement of the Government’s intention to remove diesel trains from the network by 2040, Keith Fender looks at how Alstom has developed a hydrogen-powered train that will lead to a trial in the UK within two years. In early November, Alstom and the government of the German state of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)…
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Heritage Line Profile: A Lancashire half-century

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

Mark Smithers reports on the West Lancashire Light Railway, a family-friendly operation which has just celebrated its 50th anniversary after starting from humble beginnings in 1967. IN 1878, the standard-gauge West Lancashire Railway was opened from Southport to Hesketh Bank, with a through connection to Preston following in 1882. This line remained in use until…
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Livery design: Giving the railway the ‘wow’ factor

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

While many transport companies look to external agencies and specialists to develop and maintain their brand and image, some undertake the activity in-house. Virgin Trains was one of the companies that until recently had its own design unit. Steven Knight speaks with creative designer Sam Jessup, whose artistic talents were used by Virgin Trains for…
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Keeping steam on the network: Tyseley: Shaping the future of main line steam?

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Sam Hewitt

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14th March 2018

As the steam railtour market undergoes one of its most significant overhauls in decades, Gary Boyd-Hope talks to Tyseley’s Michael Whitehouse about Vintage Trains’ bid to become an independent train-operating company owned by the general public. ONE year ago The Railway Magazine presented an in-depth look at the strategic vision laid down by Tyseley for…
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Sam Hewitt

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