"New Build" - Steam and Heritage Diesel

[eldomtom2]

I think a large part of the appeal of steam is the nostalgia; recreating the past.

Maybe, but bear in mind anyone who's old enough to remember steam in commercial service is going to be pushing 60 at the minimum nowadays. Steam has proven to have appeal beyond nostalgia, and I doubt the general public would especially care whether or not a newbuild loco was built to a preexisting design or not (as long as it conforms to their expectations of what a steam locomotive "should" look like) - all the media hype on Tornado focused on it being "the first new steam locomotive in fifty years", not its A1 connections.

 

[Flying Phil]

Three of the "New Builds - " Saint (4-6-0) 2999 "Lady of Legend", Patriot (4-6-0) 5551 "The Unknown Warrior" (Now based at Crewe Heritage Centre) and Grange (4-6-0) 6880 "Betton Grange" have received significant articles in this month's (Dec) "Railway Magazine". It is possible that the Saint may be in steam this year!
Also the frames have been cut for the County 4-4-0 3840 "County of Montgomery".

 

[silverfoxcc]

The GWR will soon to be able to run a complete service out of Paddington with all the Ex and new and rebuilds they have. once all are up and running.
Now that would be nice to see on a Sunday. Just get all the pax to get to Reading via Waterloo so they can travel onwards on the new stuff! The Tender locos can turn via Reading South and South Ealing Triangle

I have always thought GWR and GWS missed a trick of a combined HST/Autocoach changing at Slough return from Paddington incorporating entrance into the Castle, but it looks like a lot of track will need to be relaid now to do it ( running the 14xx inbetween the service trains)