Sam Hewitt

  • Golden ‘Teddy Bear’ to star at Didcot event

    Golden ‘Teddy Bear’ to star at Didcot event

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    CLASS 14 No. D9551 arrived at Didcot by road from the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) on March 8.  The golden ochre-liveried loco is seen at DB Cargo’s fuelling point prior to being taken across the tracks to enter Didcot Railway Centre. Behind is DBC Class 66 No. 66057. The 0-6-0DH will be used on three weekends…

  • Midsomer Norton holds its first diesel gala

    Midsomer Norton holds its first diesel gala

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    THE Somerset & Dorset Railway at Midsomer Norton has relied on diesel power for many of its past operating days, but the March 9-10 event was the first to be advertised as a diesel gala.  Both diesels were running, much of the time in top-and-tail mode as there is no run-round at the current southern…

  • What’s in the Shops: Classic Freightliner wagons from Bachmann

    What’s in the Shops: Classic Freightliner wagons from Bachmann

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    Nigel Burkin reviews Bachmann’s OO-gauge FFA and FGA container flats in pre-TOPS condition, complete with early BR Freightliner containers. A revolution in railway wagon design took place during the 1960s, when inefficient standard wagons started to be replaced with modern long-wheelbase and bogie air-braked stock. The wholesale containerisation of goods was also on the horizon…

  • Model review: An all-metal Irish masterpiece

    Model review: An all-metal Irish masterpiece

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    A fine model of the once-numerous Great Southern & Western Railway of Ireland Class 101 0-6-0 steam locomotives has been released by OO Works – and it has all the feel of a quality hand-built product, writes Nigel Burkin.  The most numerous steam locomotive class to run in Ireland was the Class 101 0-6-0 tender…

  • Darstaed Finescale BR Mk 1 suburbans from Ellis Clark

    Darstaed Finescale BR Mk 1 suburbans from Ellis Clark

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    One of the recently announced Set A packs of Darstaed Finescale O-gauge BR 57ft suburban coaches comprising two brake seconds (BS), a single second (S) class and a composite with lavatory (CL) is expected during the first quarter of this year, and is available to pre-order at £665 from Ellis Clark Trains of Skipton, North…

  • Tech Talk: How to deal with dirty track

    Tech Talk: How to deal with dirty track

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    Keeping track clean is one job we all have to do to keep the trains running well, and there are several effective ways of going about it, explains Nigel Burkin. One chore that faces all modellers in almost every scale and gauge – particularly at the smaller end of the spectrum – is track cleaning.…

  • Plain sailing for Cornwall railway poster as it sells for £3600

    Plain sailing for Cornwall railway poster as it sells for £3600

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    A 1950 BR(W) poster by Jack Merriott (1901-68) illustrating Penzance harbour in Cornwall realised £3600 at Onslows’ winter online vintage poster auction on December 14. London-born Merriott was a member of the Royal Institute of Painters in Water Colours, the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Royal Society of Marine Artists, and the Royal Watercolour…

  • Main line makes presence felt at London sale

    Main line makes presence felt at London sale

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    The main line in a variety of shapes and sizes will be making its presence felt at the Transport Auctions of London sale on February 23, headed by the smokebox numberplate from LSWR Class T9 No. 30705, a Dübs & Co of Glasgow product that entered traffic in January 1899 and was withdrawn by BR…

  • Two ‘Thumper’ tours planned

    Two ‘Thumper’ tours planned

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    Hastings Diesels, which operates St Leonards depot-based ‘Thumper’ Unit No. 1001, has announced it is progressing plans for two day trips in the coming months. However, the group stressed the tours are currently only outline plans and may unavoidably be subject to change or cancellation. The first is hoped to operate on Saturday, April 6…

  • GBRf and Class 50 Alliance agree reliveried ‘Hoover’ partnership

    GBRf and Class 50 Alliance agree reliveried ‘Hoover’ partnership

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    The Class 50 Alliance has been operating railtours on the national network with its locomotives since 1997. In recent years, the alliance has been working with rail freight operator GB Railfreight (GBRf), enabling a return to the main line for its locomotives in 2017 and subsequently through a programme of railtours during 2018, as part…

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