News

MAIN line testing for the RPSI’s Great Northern Railway (Ireland) ‘Q’ No. 131 got underway on November 5 when the 1901-built 4-4-0 made a series of light engine and loaded runs over Northern Ireland Railways metals. The inside-cylinder locomotive, displaying the legend ‘GREAT NORTHERN’ on the new ‘D1’ type tender, began with a light engine run…

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VOLKS Electric Railway (VER) tram cars began running between Aquarium and Halfway station (aka Peter Pan’s Playground) on October 14, the first operations over the 2ft 8½in-gauge line in 2017. VER services ceased on September 4, 2016 (RM Oct 2016) for work to start on reconstruction funded by the £1.65million Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) award…

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BREDGAR & Wormshill Light Railway (B&WLR) closed its season with seven locos in steam on October 29. Fowler 0-6-0WT Limpopo, Fowler 0-4-2T Zambesi, O&K 0-4-0WT Eigiau, and Arn Jung 0-6-0WT Katie handled the bulk of all-line passenger operating. Bagnall 0-4-0ST Armistice primarily worked a demonstration freight between Warren Wood and Stony Shaw stations, with limited…

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NOVEMBER 12 brought the curtain down on both the Chasewater Railway’s main operating season, and the current working career of resident Peckett ‘Yorktown’ 0-4-0ST Teddy (2012/1941). The ex-Ministry of Supply loco has reached the end of its 10-year boiler certificate, and for its final day the railway handed over all operations to the 7in-cylindered ‘Pocket…

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TESTING of the Cornish Steam Locomotive Preservation Society’s Bagnall ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No. 75178 (2766/1944) got underway at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway on October 14. The former Maesteg Colliery locomotive, carrying its newly applied War Department livery and number, notched up a total of three miles during the day, running light engine in the yard at…

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IT IS not often that a humble industrial saddle tank steals the gala limelight from its main line brethren, but that was certainly the case at the Great Central Railway’s Last Hurrah of the Season event on November 18-19. Roger Hibbert’s newly outshopped ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No. 68067 made its public debut at the event in its…

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BRIGHTON-built ‘West County’ Light Pacific No. 34092 City of Wells could make the East Lancashire Railway (ELR) its permanent home if the Bury line’s new fundraising appeal to buy the loco is successful. The air-smoothed Bulleid is currently owned by Richard Greenwood, John Adams and Graham Bentley, but after 46 years of maintaining and operating the…

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NORTH Yorkshire Moors Railway-based Thompson ‘B1’ No. 61264 will appear at the Severn Valley Railway’s Spring Steam Gala on March 16-18, an event that will have a strong Eastern Region feel. The Thompson B1 Locomotive Trust’s BR black 4-6-0 is the third loco with LNER/BR(E) links to be confirmed for the season-opening event, joining the Apple…

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LSWR ‘T3’ 4-4-0 No. 563 left the Swanage Railway on November 13 pending assessment for restoration at the Flour Mill Workshops in the Forest of Dean. No. 563 took part in a special Timeline Events photo charter on November 12, organised to raise funds towards the 4-4-0’s restoration. This atmospheric scene was captured at Corfe Castle…

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