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.

THE future of HS2 appears to be increasingly in doubt, as reports suggest that the forthcoming Oakervee Review will axe Phase 2b between the West Midlands and Yorkshire and possibly cancel the project entirely.The review, which is being carried out by former HS2 chairman Douglas Oakervee with frequent HS2 critic

CrossCountry dispute endsTHE dispute between the RMT and CrossCountry has ended, after the latest agreement proposed by the company about collective bargaining was accepted by union representatives. The dispute had led to industrial action being called at the end of September and again later this month, but the September action

THE day when a North Eastern Railway Worsdell ‘O’ class 0-4-4T (LNER ‘G5’) steams again in the North East of England is edging closer as the Class G5 Locomotive Company (G5LC) continues to make progress on a new-build re-creation of No. 1759 at its Shildon base. Much of the recent work

BULLEID ‘Merchant Navy’ Pacific No. 35028 Clan Line made a surprise appearance on Bluebell Railway services on August 27 during a break from its busy main line schedule.  The locomotive arrived at Sheffield Park two days previously in order to use the railway’s wheel drop to conduct a precautionary inspection and