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I visited the Wolsztyn-Leszno line in Poland last Saturday (5/7/2014). The regular daily steam services are presently suspended, although there are a number of steam excursions running. A plan has been agreed to resume steam running under the auspices of a new (charitable?) body which will also...

Over the history of railways in this country economic downturn has always presaged a similar reduction in railway traffic. Apart from a small drop in 2007-8 passenger journeys have increased, and are presently rising sharply, despite no real improvement in the economy. Freight, whist not as...

Limited numbers of compound locos were built for use on British railways. Considering the efficiency of compounding, why was it not more popular? Loco engineers adopted other technologies such as superheating and Walschaerts valve gear, but compounding was comparatively rare. Does anyone know...

Modern railway track consists of steel rail attached to concrete sleepers on a bed of stone ballast. The materials have changed, but the technique is remarkably similar to that of the earliest Victorian railways. Have alternative methods been attempted? Apart from Brunel's longitudinally...

I've just watched 'Lets Imagine: A Branch Line Railway' a BBC documentary from 1963. It's available (free!) as part of the BBC Steam Railway Collection on BBC iPlayer. It's a fascinating trip along part of the old Somerset & Dorset line to Burnham-on-Sea. I've always seen Betjeman as a romantic...

The Sky Christmas ad features 4468 Mallard in action. Nice bit of CGI. TYAKOVD-JBA

I've just read 'Out of Control' by Dave Borshik, (available as an e-book), it's the story of a 25 year career on British Railways starting in 1970. There are many interesting and amusing anecdotes, and Mr Borchik is generous enough to name everyone he worked with over this long period. I'm sure...

This website has been mentioned in other threads. There's one picture that's really bugging me. There are plenty of clues in the photo, but as yet no location. Ideas anyone? http://www.britainfromabove.org.uk/image/epw023826?filter=28706&ref=108

Super Low 45 wagons, for transporting hi-cube containers over W8 routes were launched last year by W.H. Davies amid quite a fuss. Does anybody know if freight operators are using them? In theory they should be capable of taking substantial amounts of freight off the roads. Is there any reason...

The Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash is over 150 years old, and is our sole remaining rail link into Cornwall. It's not only a vital transport link, but a listed monument. Work is presently taking place to repair and reinforce the structure. Grade 1 listing usually requires the use of 'like for...

The Midland & South Western Junction Railway closed to passenger traffic in 1961, (so not a victim of the Beeching report) and was an odd little railway that linked Cheltenham to Andover with running powers extending to Southampton. It spent some of it's early life in Chancery (i.e. bankrupt)...

I was 5 years old when the Beeching report was published. By the time I was old enough to buy a train tickret there were few trains left to catch here in rural Wiltshire.. I grew up accepting that Dr B. had a task to perform, and, until now, I didn't totally disagree with the closures that...

The West Somerset Railway's official policy, as I understand it, is that it no longer wishes to run trains into Taunton Station. The early years of the WSR were plagued by problems with BR and the NUR that eventually put paid to any ambitions to link into the national network. With other...

Richard Beeching retired from BR in June 1965 after just four years as Chairman. He died in March 1985. He was not, by most definitions, a 'railwayman' yet today, on this forum, his must be the most commonly mentioned name. Cast both as hero and villain, we can't forget this man, or what he did...

I've just watched 'Under Night Streets' a British Transport film from the 1950s showing maintenance workers on the Tube. The Inspector rides a rail-mounted cycle to check up on his crews. Does anyone know if any of these rather specialised machines survive, or when they were last used?

As of today First Great Western will be operating a Magic Carpet service between Paddington and Bristol Temple Meads. This innovative addition to FGW's ageing HST fleet is expected to reduce journey times between the two cities to less than one hour. First Class passengers may expect a journey...

DRS are now using W.H. Davis 'Super Low' wagons to carry 9'6" high shipping containers over non-gauge-enhanced routes. Does anyone know why this simple solution wasn't available many years ago? I'm not saying it isn't a clever bit of engineering, but it isn't rocket science. Why did nobody see...

The New Somerset & Dorset (not to be confused with other similar sounding groups) make the following mission statement on their website: "Whilst the New S&D will primarily be a modern passenger and freight railway offering state of the art trains and services, we will also restore the...

We now have a huge heritage railway industry in this country, with new track being opened on what seems like a weekly basis. Presumably the market for people to gawp at elderly steam locos is finite, so eventually market saturation will be reached. How much more track can we sustain? Is it time...