Steam
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Pegler’s daughter to wave off Scotsman at Swanage
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THE daughter of the late Alan Pegler, who in 1963 bought Flying Scotsman for £3000 from BR to save it from the scrapyard, is to wave it off when it hauls its first train at the start of its three-week visit. Penny Vaudoyer will be flying in from her home in Portugal to perform the…
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British Line Society secures Thunderer for railtour return after 28-year gap
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THE Branch Line Society has scored a major coup by securing Garcia Hanson’s No. 50008 Thunderer for a railtour on July 27. The ‘50’ has been active on the main line for several years, but to date has only hauled passenger trains on heritage railways. Its last railtour outing is thought to have been in October…
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Unusual pairing sparkles in sunshine and snow
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THE rare combination of a Thompson ‘B1’ 4-6-0 and a rebuilt ‘Merchant Navy’ was the highlight of February 2’s ‘Winter Cumbrian Mountain Express’. No. 61306 Mayflower and No. 35018 British India Line worked north to Carlisle via the West Coast Main Line and returned later in the day via the Settle to Carlisle Line, enjoying glorious conditions…
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Bahamas returns in style
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IT WAS a close-run thing, but ‘Jubilee’ 4-6-0 No. 45596 Bahamas made a triumphant return to the main line on February 9. The immaculate Stanier ‘5XP’ passed a late trial to ensure its new and overhauled equipment was in full working order, and then worked through from Oxenhope on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (KWVR)…
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Hawthorn Leslie Met up for sale
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Penbryn Engineering of Hengoed, South Wales, is seeking a buyer for ex-Metropolitan Electric Supply Company Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST Met (2800/1909). The forgotten loco was sent to the Hengoed works for restoration nearly 10 years ago, where it was dismantled and some preliminary work started. However, following the death of its owner, work ceased and, having…
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Steam-hauled overnight tour from Melbourne in the pipeline
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AN AMBITIOUS four-day, 1,500km steam tour is planned for June, including sleeping cars and overnight steam-hauled travel. The main tour loco will be North British-built Pacific R707 (1951/26997), constructed for Victorian Railways. The train will start from Melbourne and visit Echuca, Deniliquin, Swan Hill and Piangil between June 7 and 10. For more, email: [email protected]…
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Appeal to save North British 4-8-2 tank engine
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THE UK-based North British Loco (NBL) Preservation Group has announced an urgent appeal for funds to preserve North British-built, heavy duty 4-8-2T locomotive No. 25916. The 1,067mm-gauge loco was one of 42 similar locos built for industrial use in South Africa between 1929 and 1955. Over the years, most of them have been scrapped, but the…
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New lease of life for former TEE coaches in Cuba
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FRENCH and Cuban railways agreed in mid-2018 to co-operate in renovating workshops at Luyanó and Camagüey in Cuba, and to refurbish the former French Railways (SNCF) Trans-Europ-Express (TEE) ‘Inox-TEE’ stainless steel carriages, which SNCF sold to Cuba in the late-1990s. The TEE vehicles were built in the 1960s and once operated the most prestigious international…
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Steam heat returns (briefly) to main line in Spain
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STEAM-heated mainline trains are now almost extinct across Europe but for a few days in late-January a charter train in Spain re-created the old atmosphere. UK rail holiday operator PTG Tours celebrated the 20th anniversary of its first rail tour by running the train in Spain. It was operated by open access operator ALSA Rail,…
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Swindon Works horse dray found
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A GWR horse dray has been discovered in a domestic garage in Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, having been stored there since the early 1960s. It was among the property of a deceased gentleman who formerly worked for the railway at Swindon Works. An ideal museum or large collection item, the sprung-mounted dray bears the works…
