Sam Hewitt

THE Severn Valley Railway has several important diesel events lined up for this year, starting with the open house weekend on April 7-8. There will be an intensive steam and diesel service and Class 50 footplate experiences at Kidderminster station. The diesel depot will be open – free of charge for Freedom of the Line…

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THE Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s Class 25, No. 25059 is seen heading down the line towards Oakworth on January 6. It was taking BR Mk 1 BS No. 43145 from long-time storage to be loaded on to road transport for transfer to the Cambrian Heritage Railways, Oswestry. The coach is being returned to operational condition following…

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THE West Somerset Railway plc-owned Class 04 No. D2271 has been out of use and stored in the sidings at Minehead and Williton since early 2011 following an engine failure. It received an overhaul, including installation of a reconditioned engine previously in WSR’s Class 03 No. D2133, with which an engine swap has been made. No. D2271’s Gardener…

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THE Strathspey Railway had the snow it hoped for, covering the Cairngorms winter landscape for its steam-hauled ‘Santa’ specials. On occasions, conditions were -13°C, with nearly a foot of snowfall at Aviemore. Class 27 No. D5394 is seen early morning on December 9 outside Aviemore shed where it was kept on standby. The railway’s next workings…

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THE Fifty Alliance’s Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049 Defiance look set to take their distinctive EE sound back to Cornwall in June. This follows on from a return to their West Coast Main Line roots in October 2017. Pathfinder Tours has booked the 5,400hp pair for a midsummer outing from the West Midlands to the popular…

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THE Branch Line Society will be traversing unusual lines in the north- west of England on June 14, using three DRS Class 37s to raise money for The Railway Children charity. The DRS-operated train is being used to transport participants in the ‘Three Peaks Challenge’ that weekend, so will have just five First Class open coaches available…

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NEWTON Abbot’s former GWR carriage & wagon repair shops are facing demolition after the local authority granted planning permission for a new supermarket on the site. The well-known buildings – the backdrop to thousands of railway photographs over the last century – date from the early-1890s and are considered by many to be integral to…

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RAIL access to Heathrow from the south should be central to any airport expansion plans, says Heathrow Southern Railway Limited (HSRL) – the private venture established to develop the rail network serving Britain’s busiest airport. Responding to the Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) consultation document on the controversial third runway, HSRL executive director Graham Cross said:…

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A LONG-STANDING speed restriction on the Peterborough to Ely line at Manea has been lifted following the completion of a £1.5m package of structural repairs to two Cambridgeshire bridges in December. Steelwork was repaired and track and 13 sets of rotting timbers replaced at two girder bridges that carry the line over the River Great…

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