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Capturing the very best of Britain's mainline and preserved railways.

‘A Helping Hand For 'Hagley Hall'Unfortunately, GWR Collett 49XX 4930 'Hagley Hall' recently suffered an accident at the...
18/07/2026

‘A Helping Hand For 'Hagley Hall'

Unfortunately, GWR Collett 49XX 4930 'Hagley Hall' recently suffered an accident at the Severn Valley Railway. Details at this stage remain vague, with a full inspection to follow. In the meantime, please consider supporting the line to see this beloved engine back in service: https://svr.co.uk

Looking very much at home, 4930 takes an unfitted freight over Orchard Crossing between Arley and Bewdley during the SVR's 'Spring Steam Gala'. 17/04/26. #4930

‘The End Of Southern Steam’Fifty-nine years ago this weekend, the final steam services operated over the Southern Region...
11/07/2026

‘The End Of Southern Steam’

Fifty-nine years ago this weekend, the final steam services operated over the Southern Region of British Railways. After pioneering electrification forty years earlier, the rest of the UK had finally caught up with the Southern’s modern, progressive outlook.

One such casualty was the prestigious ‘Bournemouth Belle’ dining service. Recreating those twilight years, SR Bulleid ‘West Country’ 34046 ‘Braunton’ climbs out of the morning mist during the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway’s ‘Steam Gala’. 20/03/26.

‘Inside Out’Ever wonder how a steam locomotive works? Several engines around the UK have been sectioned to demonstrate t...
04/07/2026

‘Inside Out’

Ever wonder how a steam locomotive works? Several engines around the UK have been sectioned to demonstrate the mechanics of steam technology to new generations.

Beyer Peacock 2-4-0T No.3 ‘Pender’ was built in 1873 for the Isle of Man Steam Railway. Following over a hundred years of service, the locomotive returned to Manchester for display in the Science and Industry Museum. She can found in the Power Hall, having recently reopened following a six-year, multi-million pound renovation. 28/06/26.

- ‘The Shed Pet’It was sixty years ago in July 1966 that LMS Stanier ‘Jubilee’ 45596 ‘Bahamas’ was withdrawn from serv...
30/06/2026

- ‘The Shed Pet’

It was sixty years ago in July 1966 that LMS Stanier ‘Jubilee’ 45596 ‘Bahamas’ was withdrawn from service at Stockport Edgelry MPD, having gained quite a following during the latter years of steam on the Midland Region.

In an attempt to deter the scrapman, yard foreman Terry Smith deliberately shunted the engine to the very back of the shed, keeping her hidden until a group a enthusiasts raised enough money to purchase her.

The Bahamas Locomotive Society took ownership of the ‘Jubilee’ in 1967 and moved her to the former Great Central Railway shed at Dinting, before relocating to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway. 45596 is currently under overhaul at Tyseley.

Bahamas Locomotive Society
The Keighley and Worth Valley Railway

‘Twizell To The Rescue’Robert Stephenson & Co. No.3 ‘Twizell’ is a rare example of an engine that was preserved by the p...
27/06/2026

‘Twizell To The Rescue’

Robert Stephenson & Co. No.3 ‘Twizell’ is a rare example of an engine that was preserved by the place that commissioned it!

Built for James Joicey’s Beamish Colliery in 1891, she bustled around various local pits until 1973, when she was acquired by the fledgling Beamish Open Air Museum!

Put on display at the newly-erected Rowley Station in 1977, she didn’t see much use. Therefore, she was placed on extended loan to the nearby Tanfield Railway, where she returned to steam in 2010. 22/06/26. #3

- 'Brand New Bagnall'The Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man is about take delivery of Bagnall 0-4-2T 'Annie', hav...
25/06/2026

- 'Brand New Bagnall'

The Groudle Glen Railway on the Isle of Man is about take delivery of Bagnall 0-4-2T 'Annie', having been under overhaul at John Fowler & Sons' workshops in Cumbria. She is a replica of a 2' 6'' gauge locomotive originally built for the Gentle Annie Tramway in Gisborne, New Zealand.

However, back in 2019, the Glen received a brand-new engine of its very own: a third member of the distinctive Bagnall 2-4-0T type over a hundred years after the first example steamed into life. Designed to match the original 'Sea Lion' and 'Polar Bear', she was suitably christened 'Brown Bear'.

Groudle Glen Railway

‘Sir Nigel Gresley’s 150th Anniversary’On 19 June 1876, Sir Nigel Gresley was born in Edinburgh. Raised in Derbyshire, h...
20/06/2026

‘Sir Nigel Gresley’s 150th Anniversary’

On 19 June 1876, Sir Nigel Gresley was born in Edinburgh. Raised in Derbyshire, he served his apprenticeship with the London and North Western Railway at Crewe, before studying under John Aspinall of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway.

However, he became internationally renown as Chief Mechanical Engineer of the London and North Eastern Railway. Equally elegant in aesthetics and mechanics, his designs have gone to become seminal icons of British engineering, cementing the image of the steam locomotive in the public mindset.

Arguably, one of his most popular innovations was the streamlined Bugatti-styled nose on the legendary A4 Pacifics. Streaking along home territory on the East Coast Main Line, 60007 ‘Sir Nigel Gresley’ races through Newark Northgate with a charter service bound for York. 02/03/24. #60007

Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust

‘Sunday Morning Freight’The Winter months always allow for some fantastic photographic opportunities, as exhaust hangs s...
13/06/2026

‘Sunday Morning Freight’

The Winter months always allow for some fantastic photographic opportunities, as exhaust hangs still in the bitter climate and the sound of steam power echoes through the valley.

GWR Churchward 28XX 2807 (visiting from the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway) prepares to depart Totnes Riverside on a frosty January morning on the final day of the South Devon Railway’s ‘Winter Steam Gala’. 04/01/26. #2807

South Devon Railway
Cotswold Steam Preservation Limited (CSPL)

12/06/2026

'The Geordie 'Castle'

5043 'Earl Of Mount Edgcumbe' made a little bit of history today, becoming the first GWR 'Castle' to visit Newcastle since classmate 7029 'Clun Castle' all the way back in 1967.

See 5043 hauling 'The Cathedrals Express' on YouTube now: https://youtu.be/lQAFsS9rW7w?si=zan0s0xTj_tPnSDK

Vintage Trains

- ‘Marquess Memories’61994 ‘The Great Marquess’ was one of six K4 2-6-0s built by the LNER, specifically for use on th...
11/06/2026

- ‘Marquess Memories’

61994 ‘The Great Marquess’ was one of six K4 2-6-0s built by the LNER, specifically for use on the West Highland Extension from Fort William. Saved for preservation by Viscount Garnock, she was later sold to John Cameron, owner of LNER A4 60009 ‘Union Of South Africa’.

When Cameron announced the retirement of his two locomotives in 2014, 61994 worked out the final year of her boiler certification on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. A popular engine missed by many, ‘The Great Marquess’ is seen powering past Darnholm with an unfitted freight during her final gala appearance.

No 60009, Union of South Africa
North Yorkshire Moors Railway

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Llangollen
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