Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Amsterdam Centraal​

Capital Class Eurostar

Amsterdam Centraal​

Rail Force One Electric Locomotive on through freight working.

Amsterdam Centraal​

Arty railway pictures taken at dusk.

Dorset Coast Statesman​

47712 and 57003 zoomed through Basingstoke this morning on their way to Weymouth with the Dorset Coast Statesman.

BR Class 37 37688 "Great Rocks" awaiting departure to Whitby from Grosmont on the 30th of August 20260

Boards Tuesday 01/09/2026​

Cardiff Airport Scheduled Arrivals

Scheduled Departures

Vueling Airbus A320 EC-OFZ departing Cardiff to Alicante 1st September 2026

Wednesday 2nd Sep 2026

Marcus & Cleo Have Another Bus Adventure into Cardiff!

This was a just a trip out for drinks and food.

It was raining quite a bit.

At 'The Gatekeeper', I had five pints of beer.

White Stout, Plum Porter, Black Drop, Conqueror and Exmoor Stallion.

For food we had some Southern fried chicken and fries.

After that we caught the bus home.


The bus into Cardiff was Cardiff Bus/Bws Caerdydd No. 278, Volvo B8RLE MCV Evora, BU26 WML

The bus home from Cardiff was Cardiff Bus/Bws Caerdydd No. 271, Volvo B8RLE MCV Evora, BU26 WMA

2nd September, 2026

Original Golden Arrow steam train headboard rediscovered​

Original Golden Arrow Headboard


An original headboard from the Golden Arrow has been discovered in a loft where it has spent the best part of the last 50 years hidden away.

Several steam locomotives carried the painted steel headboard during their careers, most notably Bulleid Pacific’s and 73As, two Britannia’s: No. 70004 ‘William Shakespeare’ and No.70014 ‘Iron Duke’.

The history of the Golden Arrow on UK shores began on 15 May 1929 when the Southern Railway introduced a first-class-only service between London Victoria and Dover using Lord Nelson 4-6-0s and 10 Pullman Cars.

The introduction of this service was to emulate a similar French service running from Calais to Paris which had begun in 1926.

A new ship called the Canterbury, which was also first-class-only, enabled passengers to cross the English Channel and join the French service on the other side channel thus creating a direct link between London and Paris.

Back of the Golden Arrow Headboard


The train ceased to run during the war years but recommenced in the spring of 1946.

New steel Pullman cars were introduced following the Festival of Britain in 1951, followed by two brand new Britannia 4-6-2s, which were also allocated to Stewarts Lane to haul the train.

Following the transfer of the Britannias to other parts of the UK network, Bulleid light Pacifics became the common motive power until the Kent Coast Electrification in 1961, when electric locomotives took over, shortly followed by a new, narrower Golden Arrow headboard.

The service came to an end on 30 September 1972 as demand for rail travel between London and Paris dropped largely due to growing competition from aviation travel, though the Golden Arrow evokes many memories and captures the imagination of many enthusiasts who witnessed the train during its 43 years of operation, and in today’s modern world.

Most notably, 35028 Clan Line regularly hauls the Belmond British Pullman through Kent following parts of the original route the Golden Arrow took.

While a handful of heritage lines recreate the Golden Arrow service as a premier dining train.

The unearthed Golden Arrow headboard is to go on sale at an auction as part of Crewe Heritage Railwayana Auctions on 9 – 11 October.

It will be one of several items that are expected to gain considerable interest during the three-day auction.


“I have never seen one of these in the flesh before, after fifty years of collecting and auctioneering. It is truly a stunning historic item. We travel throughout the UK responding to enquiries and valuing railway items, and we never know what we are going to find next. It’s like going back to our train spotting days… It’s the thrill of the chase!”

Auctioneer, Nick Booth

Nethergate White Stout
4.5% White Stout
Nethergate Brewery (England)

This hazy beer is pale in colour, yet delivers the rich, creamy texture which you would expect from a traditional stout, while it's infusion of vanilla pods and cocoa nibs creates silky vanilla notes and hints of chocolate

Bowman​

Black Drop​

Dark, Dry, Coffee, Liquorice, Malt, Bitterness, Fruit, Black, Roast, Oats

This jet black stout is made with oats and has strong roast and malt in the aroma.

These flavours continue into the taste, combining with dark fruit, coffee and liquorice leading to an increasingly dry bitterness leading to a long satisfying finish.

Conqueror
5.0% Black IPA / Cascadian Dark Ale
Windsor & Eton Brewery (England)

A rich, complex and distinctive ale.

Packed with five specialty malts for a wonderful combination of roasted flavours and, unlike a stout, this beer packs a mighty punch of flavour derived from Summit and Cascade hops.

Silver Stallion​

Exmoor Drinks Ltd​

Malty, Bitter, Fruity, Citrus, Crisp, Spicy

This best bitter has a crisp and complex taste, malty with citrus and spice overtones, with a fruity and spicy aroma.

2nd September, 2026

Class 507 runs on battery power for first time​

507001 being shunted towards the Litchurch Lane test track


The Class 507 Preservation Society has announced that they have reached a milestone in their preservation journey.

Merseyrail Class 507 No. 507001 has successfully run under its own power, without third rail, using battery power.

Tests have been run at Alstom’s Derby Litchurch Lane (which hosted The Greatest Gathering last year), paving the way for operating on a heritage railway.

The batteries power the train’s traction motors and compressor for the brakes.

507001 did a number of tests on the 1st September, travelling around 2.8 miles at speeds of up to 8mph, all on a single charge.

The low-speed tests are just the start.

The next step will be to design modifications to the train to permit higher-capacity batteries to be fitted to the underframe.

Modelling suggests that speeds of up to 25 mph will be possible.


“This is a historic moment for our society and electric train preservation. We have always been determined that 507001 would remain as an operational train, not be a static museum piece. Being able to run under its own power makes 507001 a useful asset to a heritage railway, and enables it to do what it did so well for 46 years on Merseyside: transport passengers.”

Robert Hampton, chairman of C507PS

Log Wednesday 02/09/2026​

Cardiff IAP ..runway in use 30

NetJets Challenger 650 N263QS at Cardiff 2nd September 2026

FR Aviation Islander G-BJYT at Cardiff 2nd September 2026

St Athan Airfield ..runway in use 25

EI-EKP Boeing 737-8AS/W (35028) Ryanair at St Athan on 01/09/26

EI-EKT Boeing 737-8AS/W (38505) Ryanair at St Athan on 01/09/26

EI-EMH Boeing 737-8AS/W (34974) Ryanair at St Athan on 01/09/26

Freightliner Skodas 90 009 and 90 046 on a northbound liner train at Nuneaton, 19/8/26

2 September 2026

TfW adds extra trains for Kidney Wales CDF 10k​

Cardiff 10k Run4Wales


Transport for Wales (TfW) is adding extra early morning Sunday services to help get thousands of runners to the start line for the Kidney Wales CDF 10k, marking the launch of a new partnership with Run 4 Wales (R4W) Group.

More than 10,000 participants are set to gather on Sunday 6 September to celebrate the event’s 40th anniversary.

To meet the demand, TfW has arranged early morning trains from Pontypridd, Caerphilly, Barry Island, and Newport.

The extra services mark the start of the partnership that will continue across R4W Group events throughout 2026 and 2027.

This includes races such as the iconic Cardiff Half Marathon, ABP Newport Marathon, Porthcawl 10K, and Barry Island 10K, alongside plans to integrate TrawsCymru and fflecsi services to connected Always Aim High Events in North Wales.

Georgie Porter, Head of Events Planning and Delivery at Transport for Wales said: “We're focused on making travel easier, simpler, and better for the people and communities we serve, and the partnership with Run 4 Wales will help us deliver just that.

“By adding extra services, we're providing the connections that bring everyone together on race day. Whether you're running the race or travelling to cheer on a friend, we encourage everyone to plan ahead as services are expected to be busy.”

Matt Newman, Run 4 Wales Group Chief Executive, added: “Making it easier for people to travel sustainably to our events is so important to us, so we’re delighted to be partnering with Transport for Wales which is providing extra train services for the Kidney Wales CDF 10K.

“We’re very much looking forward to seeing how our partnership grows and develops over the upcoming event season and helping people arrive to our events via public transport.”

With services expected to be busy, TfW advises all runners and spectators to plan their journeys in advance and allow extra time to get to the station, as road closures will be in place in the city centre.

Rail replacement buses are in place between Ebbw Vale and Newport and passengers are encouraged to allow extra time for their journey, check the TfW app or website for the latest travel information.

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Pay as you go ticketing remains available, with validators positioned just a short walk from most replacement bus stops.

If a validator is unavailable, customers are advised to purchase their tickets via the TfW app or website or speak directly to members of the TfW revenue protection team who will be stationed at key locations across the network to assist.

Passengers with a pay as you go account who are unable to tap out, or who forget to do so, can also complete their journey through the TfW app or website the day after they travel by adding in a missed tap.

Boards Wednesday 02/09/2026​

Cardiff Airport Scheduled Arrivals

Scheduled Departures

NetJets UK Cessna 560 Citation XLS G-NJAJ departing Cardiff 1st September 2026

The East Lancashire Railway on a wet 2/8/26