Summary: Poor loco maintenance and the consequences. . . . . . We were inside the loco shed, under the looming presence of a steam...

Problems with water tanks on locomotives, mentioning a problem with Flying Scotsman. . . . . . . ‘Well, it’s basically a kettle on...

Washing, and the practicality of railway uniforms in all weathers. . . . . . Let’s talk about clothes this week, railway clothes. You...

The skills of driving steam locomotives. . . . . . . . Readers of these posts may have noticed a past reference to my career as a...

Memories of a fitter at Eastleigh works in steam days. . . . . . . A previous post on this site made mention of the dangers of working...

Fractured locomotive steam pipes, and water supply issues. . . . . . . A previous post on the romance of the footplate (17th May 2021)...

It was the London & North Western Railway that started using troughs to enable moving locomotives to pick up water. Their first troughs...

Footplate memories firing on the ‘Nibble Line’ in Northants. . . . . . . Their stories cover life on the footplate that was both hard...

Locomotive cab designs featuring 63601 (National Collection). . . . . . The scene was the gloomy and rather cold interior of the...

The Great Western Railway branch line from Yelverton to Princetown opened in 1883, amongst other things to serve Dartmoor prison and the...