News

THE Beet family’s Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 46441 could be running again by 2020 as part of a new arrangement with the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway. The maroon Mogul was moved by road from the Ribble Steam Railway (RSR) at Preston to Haverthwaite on April 16, making the short journey back to its spiritual home in…

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A MEMBER of the BR ‘Britannia’ class will return to the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway when No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell takes part in the May 26-28 Cotswold Festival of Steam. It is four decades since a ‘Britannia’ last ran over the line. The National Railway Museum and No. 70013’s custodians – the 5305 Locomotive Association – have…

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NEWLY restored Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-2T No. 41313 began a new chapter in its 66-year existence on April 4 when the locomotive hauled its first public passenger trains of the preservation era on the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. The loco was restored at the East Somerset Railway (ESR) and returned to the island last October, and…

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TYSELEY’S Vintage Trains (VT) is “incredibly close” to reaching an initial £800,000 target minimum required to launch its train operating company (TOC), thanks to sales of shares in its Community Benefit Society (CBS). Spokesman Ben Mason said: “We have been in constant communication with the ORR (Office of Road and Rail) and Network Rail regarding…

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THE Swanage Railway (SR) has made history again by returning a Southern Railway ‘U’ 2-6-0 to the main line after an absence of 52 years. This follows its efforts last year when the SR successfully restored passenger trains between Swanage and Wareham. John Bunch’s No. 31806 took part in a seven-hour trial run from Swanage to…

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NORTHERN Steam Engineering Ltd of Stockton has taken delivery of No. 4930 Hagley Hall’s boiler. The surprise move comes as the lottery-supported project to overhaul the Severn Valley Railway’s Collett ‘Hall’ takes a “strategic” step forward. The Standard No. 1 boiler left Bridgnorth on April 9, with work on the overhaul expected to begin immediately. The…

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THE Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s eight-day 50th anniversary gala is fast approaching, and the star of the event – Ivatt’ ‘2MT’ 2-6-2T No. 41241 – is making rapid strides to its return to operation after a four-year overhaul. The team of volunteers behind the project, led by Peter Turner, undertook an in-house steam test of…

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THE 90th anniversary of the founding of the Railway Correspondence & Travel Society (RCTS) was marked with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque on April 12 on platform 1 at Cheltenham station. The unveiling was performed by the society’s current president the Rev Canon Brian R Arman, who paid tribute to the two founders, Aubrey…

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USING a pair of Class 50s is proving a popular railtour attraction, with a second charity tour selling out in a matter of weeks, this time promoted by The RM’s sister title Rail Express. Working with the Class 50 Alliance, GB Railfreight, Pathfinder Tours and Riviera Trains to provide funds for The Railway Children charity,…

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