News
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Help save North British tank for possible repatriation
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AN appeal has been launched to save a North British 4-8-2T from being scrapped in South Africa – and maybe to return it to Britain for overhaul to working order. The North British Locomotion Preservation Group is offering £25 shares in 3ft 6in gauge No. 25916 of 1945, one of the last survivors of a…
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Where 31 Jolly Runners beat the train along the Dart!
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SUNDAY, February 17 saw Devon running business ‘Jolly Running’ host the inaugural ‘Beat the Train’ 12-kilometre race based at the South Devon Railway’s Totnes Riverside station. A special steam train park and ride service from Buckfastleigh was used by many of the runners to arrive by rail at the early morning event. On arrival at…
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Search for contractor delays J21 locomotive overhaul start
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The Locomotive Conservation and Learning Trust continues to search for a contractor to carry out the Heritage Lottery Fund-backed overhaul of NER J21 0-6-0 No. 65033. LCLT chairman Toby Watkins said: “We’ve received formal permission from the HLF to start and the money is there, but we’ve been unable to select a contractor to overhaul…
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Talyllyn Railway visitor numbers on the rise again
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Passenger numbers on the Talyllyn Railway over the February half-term period were 50% up on the previous year.
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South Devon Railway to mark 50 years with milestone steam gala
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UPDATE | South Devon Railway announce the Hawksworth No. 1501 will cover the planned diagrams, replacing visiting locomotive 1450.
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40 not out for RPSI steam crew
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THE Railway Preservation Society of Ireland’s two ‘Midlander’ tours from Dublin to Maynooth and back on March 18 included a ‘first’ for Irish main line steam – a steam crew with an average age of 40 years or under. After years of concerns over the increasing age profile of the certified steam crews, Irish Rail…
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Mid-Norfolk preparing to store Greater Anglia stock
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THE Mid-Norfolk Railway has completed track changes and the installation of five sidings in preparation to store rolling stock for Greater Anglia. The project is known as Operation Hedgehog. A 1½-mile-long second track has been laid between Hardingham and Kimberley Park, along with five sidings just north of Kimberley Park. The work has been financed…
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Plaque unveiled for Railway Touring Club founder
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NIGEL Dobbing, the founder of the Railway Touring Company, whose vision pioneered the ‘Great Britain’ steam tours, was remembered with the operation of a memorial train on March 17. Members of Nigel’s family, his friends, colleagues and people, who supported him over the years until his death last October, travelled from the RTC base in…
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Conwy Valley devastation as Storm Gareth wreaks havoc
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TRAIN services on the 28-mile Conwy Valley line will remain suspended for several months after the line was substantially damaged by Storm Gareth on March 16. Detailed inspections of the branch line by Network Rail using a drone have revealed multiple embankment washouts, lineside equipment flooded, and track, embankments, bridges, level crossings and stations requiring…
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Vivarail Class 230s ready for work
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The first use of Vivarail Class 230 DMUs on the main line is just weeks away, according to the company’s chairman Adrian Shooter. The three production sets for West Midland Trains – Nos. 230003-005 – have been involved in driver-training duties on the Marston Vale line between Bletchley and Bedford over the past few weeks. The…
