News

LSWR ‘T9’ 4-4-0 No. 30120 worked its last services at the Battlefield Line on Easter Monday, bringing its extended hire period to a close. The National Railway Museum locomotive arrived at Shackerstone at the end of 2016 to help work the railway’s ‘Santa’ trains. The locomotive is pictured departing from Market Bosworth with the 13.45…

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THE Isle of Wight Steam Railway ran its restored 1930s coal train as a complete entity on April 9, adding another facet of typical island railway working to its visitor offering. The restoration of the train of four London, Brighton & South Coast Railway 10T five-plank open wagons may be unique on British standard gauge…

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ROBERT Stephenson & Hawthorns ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST No. WD152 Rennes (7139/1944) has emerged from the Lydney workshops of Western Steam Engineering (WSE), resplendent in the blue livery of the Longmoor Military Railway. The long-term restoration of the locomotive, owned by Phil and Nigel Williams, has been carried out at the Severn Valley Railway, the Flour Mill,…

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A MIDLAND Railway six-wheel Picnic Saloon that spent more than 60 years in a garden in Shirley, West Midlands, was expected to enter service at the Midland Railway-Butterley as this issue of The RM went to press. Dating from 1890, the 32ft-long saloon – No. 1260 – has been the subject of an 18-year restoration…

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5,700 visitors lured to the Dorset coast for gala FIVE operational Bulleid Pacifics working through the Dorset countryside to the coast lured a record-breaking 5,700 visitors to Swanage Railway (SR) for the line’s Strictly Bulleid three-day attraction. The March 31-April 2 event was the railway’s contribution to this year’s commemorations marking 50 years since the…

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STROUDLEY ‘A1X’ 0-6-0T No. B662 (Martello) was officially welcomed back into traffic at Bressingham Museum’s Heritage Steam Gala on April 29. The 1875-built London, Brighton & South Coast Railway ‘Terrier’ has been the subject of a comprehensive overhaul and has been turned out in Southern Railway olive green livery for the first time since 1948. While…

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GRESLEY ‘A4’ No. 60009 Union of South Africa returned to steam at the East Lancashire Railway on April 13 following extensive repairs to its frames, axleboxes and motion by Riley & Son at Heywood. Regrettably, its debut was short-lived and the ‘Streak’, which is under the custodianship of Ian Riley, was taken out of service again…

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THE restoration of the 4150 Fund’s Large Prairie No. 4150 at Bewdley on the Severn Valley Railway took a significant step forward on March 29 when the 2-6-2T’s boiler was removed ready to dispatch to Bridgnorth for overhaul. Volunteers used the opportunity of having a crane on site to trial-fit the loco’s new side tanks and…

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LOCAL MP Susan Elan Jones visited the Llangollen Railway on April 7 to formally launch the railway’s Big Push Share Brochure. The project is aimed at raising share capital towards the completion of the Corwen Central station. Volunteers have continued to make good progress with the laying of more than 2,000 of the concrete Easi-Blocs that…

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