News

HEAVY snow and Siberian temperatures once again hit our preserved railways in mid-March, just weeks after the crippling effects of the ‘Beast from the East’ and Storm Emma. Fortunately, the majority of heritage lines were unaffected by the snows that came at the end of February, owing to the new season not yet having started.…

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THE Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s annual Cotswold Festival of Steam next month will be the first gala to include the new extension to Broadway, and The Railway Magazine and its sister title Heritage Railway will be there as event sponsors. Up to eight locomotives are expected to be in steam throughout the May 26-28 event, with…

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THE return of ‘King’ No. 6024 King Edward I took a major step forward on March 15 when the popular main line performer was reunited with its wheels at Minehead, West Somerset Railway. The frames were taken out of the workshop during the previous afternoon, the first time they had seen the light of day for…

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LAST-MINUTE loco unavailability and the reappearance of heavy snow could have spelt disaster for the Severn Valley Railway’s Spring Gala on March 16-18. However, the true spirit of inter-railway co-operation and the efforts of volunteers ensured each challenge was overcome and the event, billed as the SVR’s biggest Spring Gala yet, met with great success.…

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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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