Sam Hewitt

STATFOLD Barn Railway’s June 10 open day featured 16 locomotives in steam, plus rides on the Goose railcar and Burton & Ashby Light Railway Tram No. 14 (battery-electric). Peckett 0-6-0ST Harrogate 2050/1944 is away operating at the South Tynedale Railway, while Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0WT 1643/1930 Surrey County Council No. GP 39 was in workshops with the…

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WELSHPOOL & Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) hoped its machine shop would be accessible by the time this issue of The RM was published, although not all equipment was expected to be available. Returning the main workshop to use will take longer. The works and machine shop sections of the building were closed at the end…

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AN ISSUE concerning the boiler paperwork for Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway-based ‘Austerity’ No. 71515 Mech Navvies Ltd meant the RSH-built 0-6-0ST missed the first day of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s inaugural Little Engines Gala on July 7. The problem was rectified with the insurers later that day, and the loco (7169/1944) was cleared to…

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NEW faces, returning stalwarts and popular regulars made up the seven steam locomotives that starred in the Foxfield Railway’s anniversary gala on July 14-16. It was an event that commemorated the line’s 50th anniversary in typical ‘volcanic’ style! It would be fair to say the build-up to the event was a little fraught at times…

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THE boiler belonging to Stanier ‘Jubilee’ No. 45596 Bahamas is expected to undergo hydraulic testing at about the time this issue of The RM goes on sale. Tyseley Locomotive Works has now fitted, expanded and beaded the new tubes, and was completing the caulking at the time of writing. The overhaul of the boiler has also…

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NEW-BUILD Fowler ‘Patriot’ No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior had some of its motion trial fitted for the LMS-Patriot Project’s members’ day at the Llangollen Railway on July 8. Supporters of the locomotive were given the opportunity to see the 4-6-0’s left side in as near complete condition as possible, with much of that side’s valve gear…

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THE Gwili Railway’s 1¾-mile extension to Abergwili Junction was formally opened on July 1, marking the culmination of 17 years’ effort by Gwili volunteers. The first public train over the £500,000 extension was hauled from Bronwydd Arms by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns 0-6-0ST No. 47 Moorbarrow, which broke a ceremonial banner to formally open the…

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THE Bluebell Railway elected not to try and match the Mid Hants Railway’s vast array of Bulleids for its End of Southern Steam gala on July 7-9. Instead it marked the 50th anniversary with a mini-gala that made the most of the home fleet, plus one visitor. That guest came in the form of Bulleid…

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THE Swanage Railway’s showpiece event for this 50th anniversary year was its Strictly Bulleid event in the spring, but it could not let the actual July 9 anniversary slip by unobserved. The result was the Southern Sunrise mini-gala on that anniversary Sunday, which like the Bluebell event featured three locomotives in steam, but all drawn…

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