Marcus' Model Railway Journey

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9th September, 2025

First tour for steam locomotive 34028 Eddystone tomorrow!​

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With successful test runs completed, 34028 Eddystone will be hauling its first mainline tour tomorrow (10th September).

Departing London Victoria at 08:45, the train will pass through Clapham Junction (08:59), Barnes (09:08), Brentford (09:18), Staines (09:32), Woking (10:03), Winchfield (10:23), Basingstoke (10:47), Eastleigh (11:16), Southampton Central (11:27), Brockenhurst (11:48), Bournemouth (12:33), Wareham (12:55) and Swanage at 13:33.

After a couple of hours in Swanage, the train will head back to London, starting as diesel hauled. The train will pass through Wareham (17:21), Sway (18:03), Totton (18:17) and Southampton Central at 18:22 where 34028 Eddystone will take over the train.

34028 will head back to the capital via Dean (18:51) Andover (19:22), Basingstoke (19:44), Woking (20:31), Staines (21:11), Brentford (21:30), Clapham Junction (21:47) and London Victoria at 22:06.
 
9th September, 2025

Steam locomotive 35028 Clan Line to visit Dover this Thursday​

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35028 Clan Line is set to pass through Kent this Thursday (11th September 2025) as it hauls a Belmond British Pullman train.

Departing London Victoria at 10:59, the train will pass through Denmark Hill (11:10), Bellingham (11:23), Swanley (11:42), Rochester (12:09), Rainham (Kent) (12:19), Canterbury East (12:56) and Dover Priory at 13:20.

After half an hour in Dover, the train will depart back to London at 13:51 and will pass through Headcorn (14:32), Tonbridge (14:56), Orpington (15:18), Kent House (15:47), and London Victoria at 16:11.
 
10 Sep 2025

Marcus & Cleo Have Another Bus Adventure into Cardiff

We went to my model railway shop and bought a couple of things.

Then we went to 'The Great Western' for a few drinks.

Then it was the bus home.


The bus into Cardiff was Cardiff Bus/Bws Caerdydd No. 265, ADL Enviro200, CN64 FWO
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Wednesday 10th September 2025

4917


ETHNONRAIL UPDATE

FLEET & ROLLING STOCK UPDATE

Today I bought a - second-hand - Class 45 locomotive and a Prestwin silo wagon


Mainline 37-050 OO Gauge BR Green Class 45 No D49 Manchester Regiment​

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10th September, 2025

Podcaster unveils SWR train honouring England’s first king at Kingston station​

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Tom Holland and King Athelstan train


South Western Railway (SWR) has named a train after Athelstan, the first King of England, with the help of Tom Holland of the podcast The Rest is History.

Last Thursday was the 1,100-year anniversary of the coronation of King Athelstan, which took place on 4 September 925 in Kingston upon Thames.

Athelstan was king of the Anglo-Saxons from 924 to 927, and then the first king of the whole of England from 927 to 939.

To celebrate the occasion, SWR, which transferred into public ownership earlier this year, held a ceremony at Kingston station.

Flanked by Saxon warriors, globally-acclaimed podcaster and historian Holland unveiled the new King Athelstan name on one SWR’s Class 450 trains.

The unveiling ceremony took place on Platform 1, and included local children from the King Athelstan Primary School wearing crowns, and a choral performance by the Tiffin School.

Other contributors included Sir Ed Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton, and Cllr Noel Hadjimichael, the Mayor of Kingston.

Also in attendance at the ceremony were the Mayor of Malmesbury, where Athelstan is buried.

The Mayor of Oldenburg (Germany), which is twinned with Kingston, was also present.
 
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Tiffin School choir


The ceremony concluded with the Bishop of Kingston, Martin Gainsborough, blessing the train. Later, commemorations continued at All Saints Church, where the coronation took place.

King Athelstan’s grandfather, Alfred the Great, was also crowned at Kingston, his coronation preceding his unification of England as Rex Anglorum (King of the English).

In 2021, The Rest is History podcast declared Athelstan as the greatest monarch, following a public poll.

This came despite Athelstan being less well known than many of his successors, such as William the Conqueror, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I.


SWR is the only train operator which runs services to and from Kingston upon Thames, which is where six other Saxon kings were crowned, as well as Athelstan.
 
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Saxons, Joseph Silke (SWR), Sir Ed Savey, Mayor of Kingston, Tom Holland, Deputy Lieutenant Martin Hislop, Bishop of Kingston (L to R) with King Athelstan train


The naming ceremony was part of wider ‘Kingston 2025’ celebrations to mark this historic anniversary.

Earlier this year, SWR celebrated another historic anniversary, when it marked the 210th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo at London Waterloo station.


“The King Athelstan train celebrates the Royal Borough of Kingston’s unique place in the country’s history, as the crowning place of the first king of a united England.

“To have it unveiled as part of the Kingston 2025 cultural celebrations is very special – a wonderful part of our six-month festival of past, present and future across the royal borough.”

Cllr Noel Hadjimichael, Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
 
10th September, 2025

Severn Valley Railway charity gala deemed huge success​

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Three generations of motive power at Bewdley during the GBRf charity weekend


The Heritage and Modern Traction charity gala held at the Severn Valley Railway, in collaboration with GB Railfreight (GBRf), over the 5th and 6th of September proved to be a very successful weekend.

The number of people attending the event was 50% higher than the heritage railway had expected, with 1,748 people attending the charity gala across the two-day event, which also raised a substantial amount for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Across the weekend, several trans ran representing the heritage and modern traction era.

Representing the heritage scene were Severn Valley-based 4930 ‘Hagley Hall’, D1062 ‘Western Courier’, 50033 ‘Glorious’, a DMU, and 40106 ‘Atlantic Conveyor’.
 
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The cleaning team preparing 4930 ‘Hagley Hall’ for service at the GBRf charity weekend


No. 40106 ‘Atlantic Conveyor’ worked a Class 40 Preservation Society evening special on the Saturday.

The locomotive will soon be returning to the East Lancashire Railway following its seven-year visit to the Severn Valley Railway.
 
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40106 waiting to leave Bridgnorth on the final leg of its time at the SVR


Visiting GBRf locomotives represented the modern traction era, starting with 69016, which was on display on Friday evening, having worked in a rail tour.

57305, 66710, 66719 and 69015 all took turns hauling the air brake set of coaches, while dual-brake fitted 73107 & 73136 worked the GWR set.
 
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69016 at Kidderminster


Behind-the-scenes tours of Kidderminster Diesel depot also took place, and a mini beer festival also took place on the platforms.

A model railway exhibition in Partnership with Hornby Magazine also took place in the ‘Engine House’ at Highley.


“There was a really good vibe across the railway. We’ve had some tremendous feedback online, and many people made a point of saying to me at the event how well organised it was, and what a rare opportunity we’d brought together in terms of the sheer range of traction, plus the fact that so much of it was provided by freight locomotives!

We worked closely on the event with GBRf as well as co-sponsors and organisers Modern Railways and Hornby Magazines and they were delighted with how everything went. They’d experienced difficulties at another railway last year, and approached us because, in their words, the SVR is ‘the acknowledged leader in the sector for delivery of special events.

Great Ormond Street Hospital is an extremely deserving cause. We are proud to be able to support them in this way. My thanks as always to everyone across the Railway who gave their time to plan and deliver this weekend – it’s really appreciated.”

SVR managing director Jonathan ‘Gus’ Dunster
 
10th September, 2025

Appeal launched for CoBo locomotive V8 engine​

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Metropolitan Vickers Class 28 D5705 in the yard at Baron Street, East Lancashire Railway June 2023


The Class 15 Preservation Society has launched an appeal to raise the funds to complete work on the Crossley V8 engine.

The society is restoring D5705 to working condition and is based at the East Lancashire Railway.

The Crossley HSTVEE8, designed in the 1950s, was last turned over in 1974 and hasn’t been in the loco in three decades, having been stored at Castlecroft and Baron Street works.

The society had previously sourced a Crossley V12 as a donor engine and had stripped this for parts back in 2018.
 
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The Crossley HSTVEE8 engine in the yard at Castlecroft in 2002


The V8 has been sent off to Gen Elec in Lincolnshire for restoration.

Whilst this has been delayed due to a backlog of other projects, work has now started on restoring the V8, and the work completed to date includes pre-cleaning the Bedplate, fitting the main bearing caps and calibrating the pockets.

Work has also been completed on fitting the original bearings and checking the bearing nips for straightness, as they were found to be out of alignment.

Finally, the crankcase has been cleaned and inspected.
 
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The Crossley HSTVEE8 being lifted onto a flatbed in 2018 before being sent away for overhaul in 2021


Gen Elec has also quoted £16,680+vat for the work completed already, as well as other work that needs completing, and this includes
  • Making the journals and pins into a serviceable condition, except for number 5 (thrust) journal, which is damaged and will need machining and grinding, with the society quoting that around 25 thousandths of an inch needs to be removed
  • Main bearings remetalled with white-metal and machining
  • Fit crank in new bearings
  • Check running clearance as per the manufacturer’s data.
With the society completing restorations of both D5705 and Type 1 D8233, they rely on volunteers and means that funding is limited.

The project has therefore launched an appeal to raise funds to help get the engine restoration completed and returned to Bury.
 
10th September, 2025

Wiltshire railway completes restoration of UK’s last cinema carriage​

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Steve Foxon and father Rob Foxon in the cinema coach. C


After being saved from destruction, the UK’s last mobile cinema carriage has been restored and will host a public screening later this month to celebrate Railway 200.

The coach was rescued by volunteers, who worked for six years to restore it.

Princess Margaret opened the coach in 1975 as part of a travelling exhibition train celebrating 150 years of the modern railway, similar to Railway 200’s own exhibition train, Inspiration, that is currently on a year-long, 60-stop tour of Britain.
 
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The launch of the cinema coach in 1975


A rebuilt 1970s Bell and Howell will screen British Transport films in the restored cinema coach on Saturday, 13th and Sunday, 14th September at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway.

There is no charge to view the films, but visitors must buy entrance tickets to the railway.

The coach seats 25 people and will be static, but in future, films may be shown on the move.

One of the films to be shown will be Locomotion, a 15-minute history of rail travel made for the 150th anniversary in 1975.


On September 27, 1825, Locomotion No. 1 hauled the world’s first steam-powered passenger train at the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway.

Until 1988, the cinema coach was used for screening British Rail staff training films, and in 1991, it was used as a meeting room in a Bristol depot.
 
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The cinema carriage in Stranraer in the ‘70s


Former depot manager Alan Willmott once feared it would be scrapped and its history lost forever, but in 2019, volunteers arranged for it to be moved to the Swindon & Cricklade Railway.

That was the start of a six-year project to preserve the coach by Alan’s family friend, Steve Foxon, a curator at the British Film Institute.

The project was funded by Steve and his father, Rob Foxon, using money left to them by Alan after he died in 2014.


Restoration of the coach included repanelling, rewiring, repainting, raking the floor, fitting a speaker system, and installing vintage seats salvaged from a cinema in Deptford, southeast London.

The volunteer restorers were led by Martin Rouse, who commented that the coach could have been returned to passenger use, but so much history would have been lost.


In 2023, the Swindon and Cricklade Railway acquired a second Class 03 0-6-0 diesel shunter, No. 03022, one that had been built at the nearby Swindon Works of British Railways.


“Alan was the closest person I had to a grandfather. When he died, he left all the cinema coach’s paperwork to me. Much of the restoration work was done by volunteers at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, and it’s just stunning. It looks like it did in the 1980s. Sitting in the carriage absolutely warms my heart and takes me back to my childhood. It’s exactly what Alan would have wanted, and there isn’t a better way to honour his memory. My dad was a close friend of Alan’s, and he’s absolutely over the moon.”

Steve Foxon
 
10th September, 2025

New home for steam locomotive 35011 announced as fundraiser launched​

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35011 "General Steam Navigation" in the Snow


The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society has announced a new home for 35011 General Steam Navigation.

The loco has been based at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway for a number of years, but in June, the society announced that they had been told to leave due to a Merchant Navy loco not being in the railway’s plans.

A new home has become available near Templecombe, and a working base is being set up at the Yeovil Railway Centre, with volunteers ready to start on the next phase of the restoration.

However, the cost of relocating the locomotive, parts and storage containers has come to £10,000+.

The society has now launched a fundraiser to raise £5,000 towards the goal.
 
11th September, 2025

Kent railway to rededicate Sir Keith Park locomotive this Saturday​

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Sir Keith Park rededication


Spa Valley Railway in Kent will host an event to rededicate Bulleid Pacific 34053 ‘Sir Keith Park’ on Saturday (13 September).

The event will take place at the Railway’s Eridge Station between 13:30 and 14:14, and will honour both the locomotive and the man after whom it was named.

The locomotive was originally built and named ‘Sir Keith Park’ in 1947 at Brighton.

For the last year, it has operated as ‘303 Squadron’, as a tribute to the Polish airmen who took part in the Battle of Britain.

Spa Valley Railway and Southern Locomotives Limited will now return it to its original name, with blue ‘Sir Keith Park’ nameplates.

After the ceremony, the loco will haul trains for the remainder of the day.
 
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Bulleid Pacific 34053 Sir Keith Park


About Sir Keith Park​

Air Chief Marshal Sir Keith Rodney Park, GCB, KBE, MC & Bar, DFC (15 June 1892 – 6 February 1975), was from New Zealand, and was prominent in the Royal Air Force.

He was the commander of RAF No. 11 Group, and in this role, played a decisive part in defending South East England and London during the Battle of Britain in the Second World War.

Bulleid Pacific 34053 “Sir Keith Park”​

The locomotive was dedicated by Air Vice Marshal Sir Keith Park on 15 September 1947 at Brighton station, along with locomotive 21C167 “Tangmere”.

The locomotive was initially based at Salisbury MPD, and also spent time at Nine Elms and Exmouth Junction before returning for a further spell at Salisbury.

The loco was rebuilt in November 1958, with modifications that improved its repair efficiency.

It retired from service in October 1965 and was sent to scrap before being rescued and preserved.


34053 joined Spa Valley Railway’s home fleet in 2020.
 
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Sir Keith Park at Wansford


Tickets​

Special dining trains will operate on Saturday, 13 September, with full details available on the Railway’s website.

The Green timetable will be in operation, with tickets allowing unlimited travel throughout the day

Fundraising​

Money raised from this event will help The Spa Valley Railway to raise the £400,000 required for it to replace the vital Broom Lane Bridge between High Rocks and Groombridge.
 
11th September, 2025

Nottinghamshire volunteers continue work to restore steam loco 1264​

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61264


The Thompson B1 Locomotive Trust has reported that there was “Noise, dust and sweat!” when its volunteers worked on progressing the overhaul of steam locomotive no. 1264.

Last Saturday (6 September), eight volunteers took part in a working party in the ongoing efforts to restore locomotive LNER ‘B1’ No. 1264.

The work took place in the No. 1 shed at Ruddington in Nottinghamshire, which has been the locomotive’s home since it moved there from the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in 2022.

Volunteer Jim continued with preparation work for removing the top half of the locomotive’s cab.


This involved removing fixtures and fittings, which was a painstaking and often fiddly job. Jim found some of the fasteners to be “decidedly stubborn”, and had to strike a balance between applying brute force and not wanting to ’round off’ any components.
 
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Jack spent the day cleaning


Volunteer Phil spent the whole of the working party day chiselling concrete in the loco’s smokebox.

The smokebox needs to be disconnected from its saddle in preparation for lifting the boiler off the frames, and removing the concrete is a prerequisite for carrying out the disconnection.

The locomotive’s tender has now been split from the engine.

This enabled volunteers Jonny, Philomenah, Simon and Jack to work over the pit and remove pipes and valves.

Volunteers Jack and Simon contributed to the working party by thoroughly cleaning everything.

They used scrapers and paraffin to make the cleaning as effective as possible.

The next step is to label the parts and put them into storage.

While the other volunteers were carrying out their tasks, volunteer Dave was operating an angle grinder, using it to reveal the rivets which hold the locomotive’s tender tank to its chassis.

As part of the process of separating the loco’s tank from its chassis, these rivets all need to be drilled out.
 
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Restoration work continues


“To the outside world the loco and tender still look substantially complete but it is all this unseen hard work and graft which is part and parcel of overhauling a steam loco. Nothing seems to be easy at this stage but it’s a long journey and we are making progress. As Jonny remarked, tongue in cheek, ‘You can see why BR got rid of them!'”

Thompson B1 Locomotive Trust
 
11th September, 2025

New Northern train livery celebrates Railway 200​

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Northern's Railway-200-themed train


As part of its contribution to Railway 200, train operator Northern has adorned a Class 158 train with artwork that celebrates key moments and people in railway history.

Covering the full length of both the inside and outside of a two-carriage Class 158 train, the artwork was unveiled at a ceremony at Manchester Victoria on Thursday, 11th September.

The design was developed with the support of the National Railway Museum and created for Railway 200, which celebrates the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway.
 
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Northern’s Railway-200-themed train


On the outside of the train, the artwork presents a timeline across two centuries of railways. It includes:
  • George Stephenson, the engineer who designed the first steam train that carried passengers on a public railway 200 years ago, on the Stockton and Darlington Railway.
  • The expansion of the railway network during the 1800s, when thousands of workers built an elaborate railway network across northern England, including many lines, tunnels and viaducts still in use today.
  • 1948, when the four major railway companies amalgamated and nationalised to form British Railways.
  • 1968, when diesel and electric replaced the last steam-hauled trains.
Northern’s staff is not forgotten, with the names of 39 long-serving colleagues who have all worked on the railway for 45 years or longer being included in the artwork inside the train.
 
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Northern colleagues celebrate the newly-launched Railway 200 train


Earlier this year, Northern adorned a Class 331 train with a livery celebrating Bradford in West Yorkshire being designated as the 2025 UK City of Culture, and named a train after Rob Burrow, rugby league legend and Motor Neurone Disease (MND) campaigner.

“This very special train celebrates 200 years of railway history, and is packed with tributes and fascinating facts about our railway, both inside and out. As we reflect and look back, it also seems a highly appropriate time to say a big thank you to many of our long-serving colleagues for the significant contribution they have made over the years and how they inspire the next generation, including our talented apprentices who we invited to the unveiling today.”

“This train will be seen by thousands of our customers in the coming months as it travels throughout the North, and hopefully they will join us in thanking those people who have worked so hard to build our railway and keep trains running across the region, day in day out. We’ve come a long way since George Stephenson’s steam-powered locomotive carried passengers for the first time in September 1825, and now have a network which serves tens of millions of people by connecting communities across the country.”

Alex Hornby, Northern’s commercial and customer director
 
11th September, 2025

Avon Valley Railway to celebrate ‘Railway 200’ with September weekend event​

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Avon Valley Railway's Rail200 celebrations


Avon Valley Railway is to celebrate the bicentennial anniversary of the modern railway by hosting a weekend of family entertainment and an intensive timetable of heritage diesel and steam trains on Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 September.

The Gloucestershire railway – which is based at Bitton, located between Bristol and Bath – promises that families will be able to enjoy “a fun-filled programme of entertainment across both days”.

The entertainment is to include singing from choirs, Morris dancing, and an accurate model railway of Mangotsfield.

Visitors will also have the chance to ride a heritage bus between Keynsham and Bitton.
 
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One of the locomotives on duty for the event


The standard-gauge heritage railway will also be running an intensive timetable with four steam and heritage diesel locomotives operating across the full weekend.

The railway operates along a three-mile (5 km) heritage line, which runs from Oldland Common to Avon Riverside.

The line follows the Avon Valley in a southeast direction from Oldland Common to Bitton, and then continues alongside the River Avon from Bitton towards Saltford.

The Avon Valley Railway is made up of part of the Midland Railway Mangotsfield and Bath branch line, which was closed in 1966, one of many branch lines to fall victim to the extensive cuts and closures known as the ‘Beeching Axe’.

The rest of the Mangotsfield and Bath branch line has been dismantled.

Tickets for the weekend celebration event are now available to buy.

All proceeds from the event and its ticket sales will contribute towards keeping Avon Valley Railway sustainable for the future.

The railway has been struggling financially following a shocking fraud scam perpetrated by a former employee that came to light in March this year.


“We are proud to be celebrating this important Railway 200 milestone with a weekend of entertainment for all the family. An intensive timetable of steam and heritage diesel trains will operate from our main station at Bitton, providing visitors with the opportunity to step aboard into the past and ride comfortably in our restored 1960s carriages. We hope that visitors will be inspired to become volunteers of the future.”

Roger Eynon, Chair of the Avon Valley Railway Trust
 
September 11 2025

New UK Commemorative Stamps Issued

Ducks​


Designed by Michael OShea
Size 37mm (h) x 35mm (v)
Printed by Cartor Security Print
Print Process Lithography
Perforations 14 x 14.5
Gum PVA

Goosander​

2nd

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