Happy New Year to my loyal followers of my volunteer diaries! I would like to start this diary entry with a great big thank you to everyone who has been reading my diary entries over the last couple of months as they have proved to be far more popular than I ever imagined. A big…
Over the years that LocoYard.com has been doing his model railway reviews he has featured most of the big express locomotives from the “Big Four” railway companies. The Southern Railway had its Merchant Navy’s, the LNER had its A4, the LMS had the Streamlined Coronation class and finally the Great Western had its Castle class. These beautiful machines from…
Whilst reading “The Railwayman’s Pocket-Book” which had the fabulous castle class locomotive 7007 “Great Western” on the cover I found a great diagram on the Great Western Railway head lamp codes thought I would do a post on them. The head lamps arrangement was a method of classifying trains so they could easily by identified…
As we approach Christmas Day, I think it’s highly appropriate to have a blog post published on a Star! Simon of Brookes Castle has very kindly written this blog post detailing the history of the Broad Gauge Star class, which has been illustrated with pictures taken at the museum by Dave. This locomotive is a…
Without doubt the “Star” exhibit of Swindon’s STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway is the only surviving GWR Star class locomotive, 4003 Lode Star. Simon of Brookes Castle has very kindly written the following blog post detailing the history of this locomotive, which has been illustrated with pictures taken at the museum by…
Hi, I came across a leaflet in my local Model Shop and thought I would share it, as it is not published anywhere online. A model show is being held at the the Victorian Pumping Station in Eastney, Portsmouth with it’s main attraction of a pair of magnificent James Watt beam steam engines also in…
When King Stephen decided to grow a mustache for Movember he knew his fellow locomotives would be supportive however the wagons weren’t so supportive and found his handlebar mustache very funny.
I recently visited the Isambard Kingdom Brunel birthplace memorial in Portsmouth. The memorial features some of Brunels engineering wonders including like one of the towers from the Clifton Suspension bridge and the propeller from the SS Great Britain. Brunel was believed to have been born in No. 1 Britain Street, which was close to the…
We start this diary entry with this lovely photo of 35005 by Alex ‘Mac’ McClymont. It shows Canadian Pacific in her rebuilt condition languishing in the sunshine on an Eastleigh open day in the early 1960s. She looks stunning and so she should, having not long been in her rebuilt condition. It’s great to know…
Image Owned by Alre Images http://www.flickr.com/photos/arleimages/5839535798/in/set-72157626851826181 We are back!! I am starting this blog with something rather special as I have been kindly allowed by Steve of Alre Images to post a couple of photos of Canadian Pacific (CP). In the first photo we have her leaving Portsmouth in 2003 which is appealing for me…
Loco Yard 