Birmingham tramline extension opens earlyTHE next Birmingham city centre tramline extension has opened to passengers ahead of schedule. West Midlands Metro is now running services on the line to Centenary Square. It’s the first modern tramway section in Britain which uses battery trams, without the need for overhead wires. Pacers offered

DAVID Buck’s Thompson ‘B1’ 4-6-0 No. 61306 Mayflower will pay homage to the ship of the same name next September when it heads a commemorative railtour from London to Plymouth and Penzance to mark the 400th anniversary of the sailing of the Pilgrim Fathers to the Americas. Steam Dreams’ ‘Mayflower 400’

Passengers “will benefit from a better, more reliable railway in 2020” according to Network Rail – thanks to upgrades taking place over Christmas and New Year. The work in the North West and Central region – which runs from Euston and Marylebone in London, to Scotland via the West

NEW Intercity West Coast operator Avanti has revealed that it is planning another class of travel, which would be inserted between Standard and First.Passengers buying tickets for the intermediate 'premium economy' class would sit in first class areas but have fewer at-seat extras than first class ticket holders, with snacks,

If you are looking for a last minute gift for the steam enthusiast or for yourself then look no further than this splendid mug. On 19th of September 2015, a few days before retiring for overhaul the LNER class A4 Sir Nigel Gresley made a last appearance at the

ONE of the 10 Class 60s acquired by GB Railfreight from Colas Rail has been outshopped by Arlington Fleet Services, Eastleigh, in a bright blue livery.  No. 60026 carries the house colours of leasing company Beacon Rail, which financed the purchase of the locos, five of which have long-range fuel tanks,

HEAVY rain during late September resulted in West Coast Railway Company’s annual ‘Lune Rivers Trust’ special to Shrewsbury having to be diverted owing to a mud slide at Bentham. The train, hauled by recent returnee No. 46115 Scots Guardsman, had originally been booked to leave Carnforth at 07.41 for a run

THE new Avanti West Coast franchise is being officially launched today. A consortium of FirstGroup and Trenitalia won the West Coast Partnership contract, displacing Virgin and Stagecoach after more than 20 years on the route, and assumed responsibility at 02.00 yesterday morning.The new operator will provide intercity services on

FREIGHTLINER joined forces with Samaritans and Greater Anglia at Ipswich station on November 21 to name No. 66416 You Are Never Alone. Neil McNicholas, Freightliner managing director of UK Rail, said: “We wanted to partner with Samaritans for this loco-naming ceremony to pay tribute to, and raise awareness of, the

THE Simkins family visited the Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway (ELSR) on August 10-11 with their unique collection of 10¼in-gauge Great Central Railway locos.  Design and construction started in the early 1990s. The first completed was Andrew Simkins’ award-winning Class 8 (LNER ‘B5’) 4-6-0 ‘Fish’ engine No. 181, in 2002. Father Neil’s