The Art Of Conducting a Thunderstorm
Retired Engine Driver John Anthony has submitted a guest blog post, sharing the art of driving a steam locomotive. Without further ado, here is John’s fourth piece on his driving experiences!
A Little Further Down The Line!
Following Simon’s excellent blog post yesterday and this morning’s Advent Calendar blog post is Battle of Britain class 34067 Tangmere, this time running through Emsworth.
November Steam
Us railway enthusiasts have much to thank the armies of volunteers that keep heritage railways alive. There is hardly a part of the country that does not have a heritage railway nearby, which means that when on holiday in the UK you have usually have many options. An exception to this rule however, is the…
Hunslet Austerity 3883/1962 Lord Phil
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have long had a soft spot for the humble Hunslet Austerity saddle tank. They are the most common class of standard gauge steam locomotive in the UK and it is probably for this reason that they are generally not well-regarded amongst many steam enthusiasts. I have…
Simon’s journey into the world of Volunteering – Entry 10 – 1 YEAR ON
Good evening, Todays post is rather special as it will be the first one I have done since I have completed my first year volunteering on the Mid Hants. My actual first year was completed at the end of September but with my wife giving birth to my second child in September, yesterday was the…
Gallery of the Home Fleet
Today we finally wrap up the articles from the Watercress Line’s Autumn Spring Steam Gala with a gallery of pictures. By now, the locomotives featured here (850 Lord Nelson, 925 Cheltenham, 9F 92212 and Black 5 45379) have featured so many times that there seems little reason to look at them again in depth. I…
A Soaking Wet Teddy Bear
Those who love teddy bears of the fluffy variety need not worry; none were harmed in the making of this blog post! Today we are looking at a teddy bear of the railway variety, specifically the class 14 diesel-hydraulic locomotive. 14901 is pictured on Peak Rail (click here for more,) running as tail-end charlie…
Autotrain
This locomotive and coach combination is one of the most iconic in the history of western region steam. The autotrain is the last of the visitors to be covered here, of the Watercress Line’s Autumn Spring Steam Gala. Although the last it wasn’t the least for me, although the little tank engine was certainly the…
Mid Hants Autumn Steam Gala 2014 – Brookes Castles best shots
Good evening, I had the pleasure of attending the Mid Hants Railways Autumn Steam Gala this year with Mr LocoYard himself and had to say that the Watercress Line held another fantastic steam gala. When 2 of the scheduled visiting locomotives dropped out I did start to worry about the gala, but the four Great…
Nunney Castle
Being one of Swindon’s finest express locomotive’s, this locomotive was arguably the headliner of the Watercress Line’s Autumn Spring Steam Gala. 5029 Nunney Castle was a prestigious visitor of the event. The castle class is a classic Great Western express machine. Although superceded in power by the later King class, it’s greater route availability kept…
Loco Yard 