Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Gus the Asparagus Man and St. George on the Asparagus Express


Two years ago, the Asparagus Express from Broadway to Cheltenham Racecourse ran on St. George’s Day, 23rd April.


“On St George’s Day, the official start of the British Asparagus Festival, the first ‘hundred round of gras’ is auctioned in aid of charity and taken on a different promotional trip each year. A few years ago, this included a journey on the GWSR’s steam trains, which was so popular that we have decided to make this an annual special celebration. “Steam trains and asparagus are equally popular. This is a great way to celebrate both and to promote this very special crop and encourage people to make sure they buy British.”

Nigel Smith, Chairman of the British Asparagus Festival CIC

25th May, 2026

Somserset-based steam locomotive to visit the East Lancashire Railway​

7828 Odney Manor at Williton


The East Lancashire Railway has announced its first visitor for its Autumn Steam Gala.

GWR Manor 7828 Odney Manor is set to visit the line for its gala between the 16th and 18th October 2026.

7828 visits courtesy of the West Somerset Railway, and returns back to its old home, having been a resident between 1993 and 1995 and has not visited for more than 30 years.

Tickets and more details will be available soon but are not yet available.

25th May, 2026

Tyne and Wear Metro control room upgraded in multi-million pound project​

Tyne and Wear Metro’s upgraded control room


The Tyne and Wear Metro’s control room has been upgraded, and its layout improved, in an £8.8 million project.

The control room now has some of the most advanced technology in the railway industry, with the upgrade including the renewal of the system that manages key parts of Metro’s infrastructure.

Among the items renewed were the high-voltage power supply and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System (SCADA), which monitors power, fire and intruder alarms, lighting, lifts, escalators, and tunnel drainage pumps.

(l-r) Steve Duchar, Nexus Head of ICT, Chris Elliott, Sella Controls, and Paul Welford, Nexus Major Projects Director.


The new digital technology installed provides faster, more effective fault finding and helps reduce disruptions to Metro services.

The new SCADA system incorporates the latest SCADA and RTU (remote terminal unit) products already in use across the UK’s mainline network, with the RTUs feeding live data into the SCADA.

Together, these provide the Infrastructure Controllers with a continuous real-time view of the network, and also calculate the network’s live power load.

Instead of relying on incomplete or delayed information, operational staff can now see the network’s real-time state and make decisions based on what is actually happening.

Tyne and Wear Metro’s upgraded control room


Sella Controls carried out the project on behalf of Metro operator Nexus, which has over a hundred years of experience in Traction Power SCADA in the rail industry.

Earlier this month, the Tyne and Wear Metro received its second consecutive Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Gold Award for its continued commitment to health and safety.


“This major upgrade of our control room technology is a vital investment in Metro’s long-term future. I’m delighted to say the project is now complete. The new SCADA system transforms how we monitor key assets, including the power supply, and allows us to respond more effectively when issues arise, which means less disruption for customers.“What we have installed is the very latest digital technology, which is the most advanced currently in use in the UK railway industry. It enables us to remotely manage the high and low voltage power supplies and other key things like lighting, lifts, escalators and fire alarms.

Paul Welford, Major Projects Director, Nexus