Cliff Thomas reports on a rare heritage anniversary – a 2ft-gauge railway that has operated continuously for a century. THE Leighton Buzzard Railway (LBR) will celebrate the line’s 100th anniversary of continuous operation on November 17, the nearest Sunday to the original opening date.  Numerous heritage railways

New CrossCountry dispute flares upTHE RMT is to ballot its members at CrossCountry after rejecting a pay offer which the union said is ‘below RPI’. The union is also protesting about maternity pay arrangements. A previous dispute over collective bargaining had only just been resolved, and industrial action called at

THE passenger rail franchising system set up as part of privatisation in the 1990s is set to be abolished, as one of the measures to be announced in the Queen’s Speech today.In advance of the State Opening of Parliament, the government has revealed that it wants to scrap rail franchising,

THE West Somerset Railway’s (WSR) Autumn Steam Gala will take place just days after this issue of The RM goes on sale, with a no fewer than four GWR Collett panniers taking centre stage. Three of the ever-popular 0-6-0PTs will be visiting the railway for the October 3-6 A Country

ONE of preservation’s forgotten locomotives – ‘Merchant Navy’ Pacific No. 35009 Shaw Savill – is being restored for main line operation by owner Ian Riley at his Heywood works, near Bury.  Mr Riley bought the rebuilt Bulleid 4-6-2 from Richard Stone in 2003, but other than stripping it down little work

October 31 marks 50 years since the closure of the Longmoor Military Railway in Hampshire. The army training line, known for its eye-catching blue-liveried locomotives and stock, came within a whisker of becoming a preservation hub for the south, but alas it was not to be. Gary Boyd-Hope pays a

THE RMT has called a new series of 24-hour strikes on Merseyrail during nine Saturdays in November and December, after a series of  workshops failed to yield agreement over future train staffing.The union’s general secretary Mick Cash told his members that the new action was intended to ’focus the minds

This weekend marks 160 years since the death of Robert Stephenson, one of the greatest railway and civil engineers of all time. Through cutting-edge transport technology, Robert and his father George Stephenson reshaped the Britain of their day. Here are a few facts you may not have known

A DISTINCT Southern Region atmosphere surrounded the Severn Valley Railway’s (SVR) Autumn Steam Gala on September 19-22, with five of the participating locomotives having a BR(S) pedigree. East Lancashire Railway Bulleid ‘West County’ No. 34092 City of Wells was surprisingly making its first visit to SVR metals. The air-smoothed Pacific proved

Newcastle Central is a listed building, the city’s major transport hub, and acts as both a terminus and a through station. Graeme Pickering recalls the station’s impressive past and assesses plans recently outlined for the future. NEWCASTLE Central station is widely regarded as one of the finest in the country.