Keeping steam going throughout over half of the 20th century. . . . . . . There was a mix of longevity and novelty towards the end of...

British and French enginemen try each other’s locomotives. . . . . . . In the late 1950s, Richard Hardy (who was generally known as Dick...

Bought by the Great Western Railway (GWR) for comparison. . . . . . French-built de Glehn 4-4-2 Compound “La France” arrived in pieces at...

Some were enthusiastic about railways and had locomotives named after them. . . . . . In November 1838, Benjamin Disraeli, at the time...

The 1924/1925 Empire Exhibition. . . . . . On 23rd April 1924 (Saint George’s Day) King George V opened the British Empire Exhibition at...

The Great Western Railway’s last Chief Mechanical Engineer. . . . . . . . Frederick William Hawksworth was born in Swindon, Wiltshire on...

The legacy of GWR CME Charles Collett. . . . . . . . Looking at the locomotive designs of Charles Collett, it’s amazing how many of them...

Driving a “car” on rails under steam power. . . . . . . . 1903 was an important year for rail motoring! In April, Sir Joseph Wilkinson,...

Giving absorbed locomotives the GWR look! The Great Western Railway (GWR) was renowned for using brass and copper adornments on its...

Identifying a locomotive from the front. . . . . . . British steam engine smokebox door numberplates are much sought-after items which...

A locomotive with 95 years of work to her credit. . . . . . . 1857 was a significant year for pioneering locomotives now in the National...

Short-lived programmes for oil-fired steam locomotives stopped by costs. . . . . . 28XX class 2-8-0 number 2854, renumbered as...

Innovator responsible amongst other things for warm feet and hot footplates. . . . . . Born near Dundee in 1816, Archibald Sturrock...

How some historic locomotives escaped scrapping while others survived as replicas alongside the originals. . . . . . . . . In January...

In his own words. Extract from NAROH interview 2001/115. . . . . . However after spending the winter there relations between my father...

In his own words. Extract from NAROH interview 2001/115. . . . . . I got a letter from the local District Traffic Superintendent’s Office...

Summary: The building of ‘Great Northern’ at Doncaster 1922, set in the context of the time. . . . . . Imagine. Imagine it is April,...

The theory and practice of steam loco smoke deflectors. . . . . . . Those of us trainspotting in the last days of steam will know these...

Types of steam loco whistles and their use. . . . . . . Well, it’s not unreasonable, is it? Just a toot on the locomotive whistle to...

On 6 March 1965 the last passenger services ran over the route from Malton to Whitby. The line closed completely north of Pickering...