Good evening, Tonight we are looking at a rather special locomotive that has recently completed a cosmic overhaul at the Mid Hants and is now on display at the National Railway Museum. This is probably the most famous member of OVS Bulleid’s Battle of Britain class and as a result is rightly a member of…
Good evening, Last week I was on a family holiday back to my home town in Yorkshire and what sort of steam enthusiast doesn’t pop by the National Railway Museum whilst in the neighbourhood? Dave covered most of the exhibits that are based at the NRM in his post for the Great Gathering back in…
Tonight we have a quick Flying Scotsman update. Progress towards arguably the most controversial overhaul of a steam locomotive are making more significant and positive steps that should help see it returned to steam in 2015. Flying Scotsman’s tender has now left the NRM and joined the locomotive at the workshop of Riley & Son (E) Bury, where…
2016 will be 175 years since Daniel Gooch recommended to Isambard Kingdom Brunel to locate the Great Western Railway’s main locomotive works in Swindon. Located half way between Bristol and Reading, Swindon was an ideal location. The developments associated with the GWR accelerated development of the town that is now the biggest in Wiltshire. A…
This morning we have a quick blog post on progress on the project to return the Flying Scotsman to service. Yesterday an update on Riley & Sons overhaul of the worlds most famous steam engine was published. Major work to the frames has been completed and a new buffer beam plate has been fitted. Heritage Painting…
Today marks 50 years since the funeral of Sir Winston Churchill. On 30th January 1965, Bulleid Battle of Britain class 34051 had the honour of hauling the deceased Sir Winston Churchill on his last journey from London Waterloo to the famous statesman’s final resting place in Long Hanborough, Oxfordshire. The locomotive wore disc codes in…
In 2013 I had the pleasure of visiting the National Railway Museum, York and seeing all six preserved LNER A4 class locomotives together at once. The experience was covered in the blog post Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (aka Locoyard in the NRM), which summed up my excitement of the event! Over the course…
The Great Western Railway, or GWR, was known to it’s fans as “God’s Wonderful Railway”. Most people who find an interest in something often develop loyalties, particularly when it comes to anything competitive, just listen to the chants of any football game if you’re searching for an example! The same is true for railways, even…
Swindon’s STEAM – Museum of the Great Western Railway tries to give visitors an impression of what Swindon was like during it’s heydays in the past. One of the exhibits – 42xx class 4248 is displayed as a dismantled steam locomotive, if it was in the works.
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…
Loco Yard 