THE RMT has taken an unusual step in the South Western Railway dispute, by setting out a ‘framework’ for talks to restart. The RMT has also asked for the help of ACAS once again.The strike of RMT members on SWR has entered its third day, and unless a solution to

We are excited to share our 12 Days of Christmas Facebook competition! We can’t promise gold rings, French hens or even ladies dancing, but we do have some amazing, and unique, prizes up for grabs this December! We’re giving away a very special jigsaw puzzle, a year’s subscription to

THE RMT union has urged South Western Railway to return to the negotiating table, on the second day of the strike over on-train staffing and the future role of guards. The walkouts are currently set to continue almost without a break until New Year’s Day. The last talks broke up on

FORMER Wadebridge ‘1366’ 0-6-0PT No. 1369 ran its long-awaited first revenue-earning train in slightly more than two years on October 5 at the South Devon Railway.  The diminutive pannier had its first light engine test run on October 3, then double-headed with the 14.35 from Buckfastleigh to Totnes the following

THE initial 659ft of the Churnet Valley Railway’s (CVR) £1million extension to Leek carried its first passengers on October 11, just 48 hours after the first track panels went down. Greg Wilson’s USATC ‘S160’ 2-8-0 No. 5197 had the honour of hauling the first train full of invited guests over

THE North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) pulled off what might be regarded as one of the biggest steam galas of the 2000s on September 27-29, which not only featured a hugely impressive locomotive line-up, but also illustrated how far the line’s motive power department has come in a relatively short

A SPECIAL preview Azuma is running from Harrogate to Leeds today, as a curtain-raiser for the launch of Intercity Express services between the North Yorkshire spa town and London.Following the timetable change on 15 December, Harrogate will gain five new London trains each weekday, in addition to the existing daily

JONATHAN Jones-Pratt’s ‘94XX’ 0-6-0PT No. 9466 has entered service at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway at the start of an extended hire to the Cotswold line.  The Hawksworth pannier was trialled on a round trip on October 19, double-heading with another Hawksworth type – ‘Modified Hall’ No.  7903 Foremarke Hall – during

HUDSWELL, Clarke 0-6-0ST Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons No. 31 made its first preservation-era visit to another heritage railway in late October when it joined ‘Swindonised’ Hudswell, Clarke 0-6-0ST No. 813 at Didcot Railway Centre.  No. 31 can usually be found on the late Sir William McAlpine’s private railway at Fawley Hill (now

THE A1 Steam Locomotive Trust (A1SLT) has announced it has received pledges for more than two-thirds of the £5million required to complete its new-build Gresley ‘P2’ 2-8-2 No. 2007 Prince of Wales.  Since its launch in late-September 2013 around 930 supporters have signed up to the ‘P2 for the price of