Scarborough North Bay Railway is a miniature railway which has been in operation since 1931 and it’s sole purpose has only ever been as a tourist attraction to those visiting the North Bay area. Having survived through WW2 and the worst miniature railway accident in the country only a year after it’s opening in 1932, […]
Author: Andrew Brooke-Reid
The Funiculars of Scarborough
Scarborough is well known for being a tourist hotspot, especially in the better weather. It’s no secret however that the main shopping areas and beachfront are separated by a steep and sharp cliff face. It is perhaps no surprise that Scarborough has seen 5 funicular cliff railways built in it’s lifetime to make access between […]
Statfold Country Park
We’re back in the Midlands today and it’s a festival of steam at Statfold Country Park and the Statfold Barn Railway. There are three gauges of track here and yes, they are all running today. Not only this but the variety and number of trains running is insane! Check out the gallery below to get […]
Swindon Panel Society
Trains are great, however those trains would not move anywhere if it were not for the signalling which controls them. Signalling is vital and has been constantly developing since the inception of the railways. When we think of heritage railways, many of us will think of mechanical semaphore signalling which was typical for the steam […]
Didcot Railway Centre – Pendennis Castle Centenary Celebration
4049 Pendennis Castle comes from the 4-6-0 Castle class family which were once of the most celebrated locomotives of the Great Western Railway and over 171 Castles were built from 1923 – 1950. Pendennis Castle has a special claim to fame as she outperformed the mighty Flying Scotsman in 1925 running 16 coach trains on […]
London Museum of Steam & Water
Based at the historic Kew Bridge Waterworks, the London Museum of Water & Steam tells the story of London’s water supply from the Roman era right up to the modern day. This is a working museum and there are some very interesting examples of steam pumping engines; from a smaller sized triple expansion engine right […]
Romsey Signal Box
Romsey signal box dates back to 1865, where it was originally located at the junction of the Southampton and Eastleigh lines. The signal box was in use for well over 100 years, but became redundant in 1982 thanks to the advances in modern signalling. The signal box was acquired by the Romsey and District Buildings […]
Railworld Wildlife Haven
I know, a wildlife haven doesn’t exactly scream railways or museum, so what is this all about? The site where Railworld currently sits was originally intended to be the home of the Museum of World Railways to compliment the National Railway Museum in York. Due to funding issues, the site had to change direction and […]
Nene Valley Railway – HST 125 Special
It’s 2024 and a new year heralds in a whole new set of railway adventures. I’m kicking the year off with something a bit special. Over at the Nene Valley Railway in Cambridgeshire, the 1 year anniversary of the High Speed Train (HST) acquisition of the 125 preservation group is taking place. The Class 43 […]
Plym Valley Railway
In the final entry of 2023, we visit the Plym Valley Railway near Plymouth. Originally part of the South Devon and Tavistock Railway, the line closed in 1962 but work began in 1982 to restore a section of the line from Marsh Mills to Plym Bridge which has resulted in just over a mile of […]