British railway history
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From the archive: 42 years ago, Arthur Miller looked back on three decades of railway enthusiasm
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In the August 1984 issue of The Railway Magazine, Arthur Miller’s “Thirty Years On” looked back to the dawn of his railway enthusiasm. Having travelled over all the British Railways passenger lines in Great Britain then carrying a regular timetabled service, he reflected on the journeys, changes and experiences of the previous three decades. A…
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From the archive: Richard Branson sets out his vision for Virgin Rail in 1997
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In the May 1997 issue of The Railway Magazine, Editor Nick Pigott interviewed Richard Branson about Virgin Rail, the West Coast and CrossCountry franchises, proposed new trains and the challenges facing the newly privatised railway. Branson also discussed railway investment, Railtrack and his childhood interest in trains. Original introduction THE NEW RAILWAY BARONS: Richard Branson…
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From the archive: Swindon ‘Steam’ opens to the public
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We take a verbatim look back at when JOHN STRETTON was given an insight into Swindon’s new £11m railway museum. WEDNESDAY June 14, 2000 will become an important day in the history of Swindon and its railways. After many years, alternative suggestions, trials and tribulations along the way, this date was due to mark the…
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From the 1973 archive: The secret operation that brought Flying Scotsman home
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A year after hopes for an American future began to fade, No. 4472 Flying Scotsman faced the possibility of sale to satisfy creditors. This first-person account from the August 1973 issue of The Railway Magazine describes the rescue operation, its concealed movement to Oakland and the locomotive’s return to Britain. Hopes begin to fade ABOUT…
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From the archive: Bill Hoole’s unforgettable “Tees-Tyne Pullman” run
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Commander W. J. Alcock recalls an exciting journey on the “Tees-Tyne Pullman”, driven by the late Bill Hoole. First published in the October 1979 issue of The Railway Magazine, the account describes a run from Kings Cross towards Darlington and Newcastle. TRIBUTE TO A MASTER COMMANDER W. J. ALCOCK, RN (RTD), DESCRIBES AN EXCITING RUN…
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Recent restoration round-up around the country
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A recent round-up of restoration projects as seen in Railways Illustrated Magazine, compiled by Pip Dunn. 03145 – Moreton Park: In September, the reduced-height 03 received a layer of polish from the top down to give it some protection during the winter. Some rust spots on the cab end and sides were treated and a…
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Living Life in the Past Lane: Recreating 1980s Scottish Railways in Photographs
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Railway photography is both a historical record and an art form — a way of freezing a moment in time while capturing atmosphere, memory and emotion. For photographer Chris Gee, it is also about recreating the feel of the past, particularly the early 1980s, by carefully composing images that could plausibly have been taken decades…
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A New Great Western Standard: The Design and Significance of Locomotive No. 1000
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There has long been a peculiar and enduring interest in new locomotive designs emerging from Swindon. For decades, the works of the Great Western Railway have set benchmarks for locomotive engineering in Britain, and it has become increasingly clear how deeply engineers across the industry have been influenced by Swindon practice. By the mid-1940s, it…
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