Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Class 31/1 No.31108


With an intensive timetable over the three days of the gale, the classic diesel locomotives will be challenged when they climb the 1 in 68 Chinnor Bank and 1 in 100 from Thame Junction into Princes Risborough.

It is also planned to offer visitors rides in the cabs of selected locomotives on payment of a supplementary fare, and details of those will be announced later.

British Railways Class 50 No.50015 'Valiant' on February 8, 2025


Further information about the gala and the driver experiences can be found on the railway’s website at https://www.chinnorrailway.co.uk/

22nd February, 2025

Black 5 steam locomotive set for The Greatest Gathering​

LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0 Black Five's 44871 & 45407 “The Lancashire Fusillier" are seen on the Aberdeen to Edinburgh leg of the 'Great Britain XVI' charter. West Coast Railways.


A Black 5 is to visit Alstom‘s Derby Litchurch Lane Works as part of The Greatest Gathering.

The specific locomotive is yet to be announced but will be from the West Coast Railways pool.

The Greatest Gathering is set to take place this August to celebrate 200 years of passenger railways.


The event will take place at Alstom‘s Derby Litchurch Lane Works between the 1st and 3rd August.

The locomotives confirmed to attend are (Alstom have also noted that examples from the same class may substitute):

Steam

• LNER A4 No. 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley – courtesy of the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust and Locomotive Services Group
• SR Merchant Navy No. 35018 British India Line – courtesy of West Coast Railways Co
• LMS 6P No. 46115 Scots Guardsman – courtesy of West Coast Railways Co.
• LMS Jubilee No. 45596 Bahamas – courtesy of the Bahamas Locomotive Society
• SR Merchant Navy No. 35028 Clan Line – courtesy of the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society
• LMS Black 5 (specific loco TBA) – courtesy of West Coast Railways Co.

Diesel

• BR Class 37 – courtesy of Rail Operations Group
• Class 50 No. 50049 Defiance – courtesy of the Class 50 Alliance
• Class 57 – courtesy of Direct Rail Services
• Class 66 No. 66301 and gold IIA-D wagon – courtesy of GB Railfreight
• Class 69 – courtesy of GB Railfreight
• Class 60 and JNA-T Wagon – courtesy of DCRail and Cappagh Group
• Class 108 DMU – courtesy of the Severn Valley Railway
• Class 47 – courtesy of West Coast Railways Co
• Class 50 No. 50033 ‘Glorious’ – courtesy of the Class 50 Alliance
• Class 35 D7076 – courtesy of the East Lancashire Railway and Bury Hydraulic Group
• Class 55 No. 55009 “Alycidon” – courtesy of Deltic Preservation Society
• Class 55 No. D9015 “Tulyar” – courtesy of Deltic Preservation Society
• Class 55 No. 55019 “Royal Highland Fusilier” – courtesy of Deltic Preservation Society
• Class 40 No. 40106 – courtesy of the Class 40 Preservation Society / Severn Valley Railway
• Class 43 No. 43159 (2+4 Formation – other powercar TBC) – courtesy of The 125 Group

Electric

• Class 507001 – courtesy of the Class 507 Preservation Society
• Class 390 Pendolino No. 390119 in its Pride livery – courtesy of Avanti West Coast
• Class 91 No. 91110 Battle of Britain Memorial Flight – courtesy of London North Eastern Railway
• Class 331 – courtesy of Northern
• 4VEP No. 3417 – courtesy of the Bluebell Railway
• Class 91 No. 91101 Flying Scotsman – courtesy of London North Eastern Railway

Bi-Mode

• Class 93 – courtesy of Rail Operations Group
• Class 755 – courtesy of Greater Anglia

23rd February, 2025

Great Western Railway train named after granddaughter of Robert Baden-Powell​

Gill Clay and her Intercity Express Train


Great Western Railway has continued the tradition of naming its trains by bestowing Intercity Express Train No. 800021 with the name of an inspirational Scout leader to celebrate 100 years of Scouting in Wales.

The Intercity Express Train was named after Inspirational Scout leader Gill Clay at a special ‘Great Westerners’ ceremony at Swansea station. Gill is 87, a Beaver leader from Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan, and the granddaughter of Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts.

The ceremony paid tribute to both Gill’s lifetime of dedication to Scouting and to 100 years of Scouting in Wales.

Gill Clay and Joe Graham, GWR Business Assurance and Strategy Director


Last year Gill became the 399th person to receive Scouting’s highest honour, the Bronze Wolf Award, the only award presented by the World Scout Committee.

The award recognises outstanding service, commitment, and contributions by volunteers to the Scout Movement.

Great Western ‘Great Westerners’ theme recognises past and present heroes with connections to the company’s network.

Other trains that have been named in recognition include Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, NHS founder Aneurin Bevan and best-selling author Agatha Christie.

Many members of the Scout Movement and Gill’s family attended the ceremony to recognise Gill, who has made an extraordinary contribution both to local Scouts and the global Scouting community.

The naming of 800021 will help to pay tribute to her commitment and celebrate 100 years of Scouting in Wales.

The “Gill Clay” naming ceremony

After the naming ceremony, 800021 Gill Clay operated the 13.22 service from Swansea to London Paddington.

“We are so proud that over 18,000 Scouts of all ages in Wales are being recognised with a train named after one of our most famous members. This year we are celebrating 100 years of devolved Scouting in Wales and this train, launched the day before Founders Day, marks the start of our celebrations. Founders Day is a celebration of the shared values and common goals of 57 million Scouts all over the world as we work towards peace, unity and international friendship. We make these big ambitions a reality with simple acts of kindness in everyday lives – supporting people in our communities and living our promise to help other people. This train is a great reminder of that, and Gill Clay embodies those values and our ambition to leave the world a better place.”

Rhian Moore, Chief Volunteer of ScoutsCymru

24th February, 2025

Flying Scotsman hauls first trains at Peterborough’s Nene Valley Railway​

Flying Scotsman stands at Peterborough NVR


Flying Scotsman has made its first public outing of the year, visiting Peterborough’s Nene Valley Railway.

The visit to the Nene Valley Railway sees the 1924 built locomotive running as part of the Railway 200 celebrations.

The Nene Valley Railway runs between Wansford and Peterborough NVR.

Flying Scotsman passes over the River Nene

Flying Scotsman on the Nene Valley Railway

24th February, 2025

Polish steam locomotive restored in memory of 11-year old boy​

Lord Oliver Brown


A team of train enthusiasts have restored a former Polish steam engine to running order in memory of an 11-year-old boy who died of a rare form of cancer, and to raise money for the hospice where he died.

Oliver Brown from Plymstock in Devon had a rare form of blood cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndrome, which throughout the world only affects four in one million children.

Oliver received treatment for it for three years, but in May 2019 doctors told his parents they could do no more for Oliver, and he only had a few weeks to live.


The Browns decided to have as much fun as possible whilst Oliver was well enough, and to provide his brother Benjamin with a lifetime of memories of him.


Oliver sadly passed away on 2nd November 2019 at Children’s Hospice South West’s Little Harbour in St Austell.

For the last five years, train enthusiasts and friends of Oliver’s parents Mike and Nicky have been busy restoring a 1959 Polish ‘Tkh’ steam locomotive at the Plym Valley Railway in memory of Oliver.

Restoration has now been completed, and the locomotive has been painted in Oliver’s favourite colours of striking pink and green colour scheme and named Lord Oliver Brown.


It also incorporates the Children’s Hospice South West logo and suggestions from Oliver’s brother Benjamin.

Oliver’s mother Nicky said she was incredibly proud that her beautiful son has inspired this wonderful locomotive which would continue to spread smiles and happiness, and also support the hospice that had done so much for Oliver and his family since 2017.


Lord Oliver Brown is owned by Marc Bellin.

Its new livery was designed by Marc’s Network Rail colleague Richard Gibson, who is a friend of the Brown family and one of the team who worked on the restoration project.


On Sunday 9th March, which would have been Oliver’s 17th birthday, Lord Oliver Brown will steam for the first time in 17 years, and take Oliver’s friends and family along the Plym Valley Railway line to Plymbridge and back, followed by journeys throughout the day for members of the public, with all money raised being donated to Children’s Hospice South West.

In January 2024, the Plym Valley Railway purchased a fully operational steam engine which achieved one of its long-term goals, and last November a pair of ex-GWR HST power cars found a home at the railway.

Sarah Stott, Head of Fundraising at CHSW’s Little Harbour Children’s Hospice said they were really excited for the launch of the Lord Oliver Brown train and it would not only honour Oliver’s memory and that being enjoyed by other children and families while raising money for the hospice would be really special.

“This train can only make you smile. It’s brought so many people together, made new friendships and memories, which is amazing as it’s just what Oliver did through his life – made friends and created memories for others. Oliver was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome at Bristol Children’s Hospital towards the end of 2016, which he had developed as a result of a complicated genetic disorder relating to his GATA2 gene that also led to him being born deaf. He then spent the following three years facing intense invasive treatments, over 15 operations, time in isolation and two 5-month stints in Bristol Children’s Hospital.”

Mike Brown

Monday 24 Feb 2025

Ludlow station’s new lift opens and will transform access for passengers​

Region & Route: Wales & Western: Wales & Borders

Ludlow Station AfA


Members of the community joined MP Stuart Anderson to mark the official opening of Ludlow station’s new lift last Friday (21 February).

The completed scheme makes the station – which is run by Transport for Wales (TfW) - much easier to use for passengers, especially those who are wheelchair users, have limited mobility, or are travelling with luggage, bicycles, and pushchairs.

The new lift has been installed next to the existing footbridge on platform 1 to help passengers make their connections to stations south of Ludlow, such as Hereford.

The new lift is funded by the Department for Transport as part of the UK Government's Access for All programme which was launched in 2006 to address the challenges faced by disabled passengers and those with mobility issues when using railway stations. Ludlow station was selected along with Cwmbran, Tenby, Newtown, Abergavenny, Llanelli and Flint.

Making stations accessible to everyone benefits the economy by reducing car travel, which lowers traffic and cuts carbon emissions.

Rachel Heath, Network Rail Wales and Borders operations director, said: “We're thrilled to share the exciting news about Ludlow joining our growing collection of step-free stations as part of the Access for All programme.

“It’s essential for us to make our railway as welcoming and accessible as possible, encouraging even more people to choose the railway for their sustainable travel journeys. Improving the convenience and accessibility of our stations is really at the heart of this effort.

"I want to thank the local community for their patience while we carried out these important upgrades.”

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Stuart Anderson, MP for South Shropshire, added: “ It was a pleasure to mark the official opening of the lift at Ludlow station, and it’s even more fitting as I’m currently on crutches.

“I think accessibility is part of people's everyday life - if you don't consider it, you're basically saying 'you cannot travel this way'."

Robert Gravelle, on behalf of the TfW Accessibility and Inclusion panel, said: “TfW are unwaveringly committed to accessibility and inclusion, and the significance of the Ludlow improvements are a clear illustration.

“It has been long recognised that upon fruition, the provision of an Access for All scheme would have generational benefits to Ludlow and its surrounding area. It's inspiring to see that so many have come together in this shared aspiration to make rail transport easier and unrestricted for all.”

During the project, parts of the road and footpath had to be closed to keep the public and workers safe. The station remained open throughout as the teams used Saturday night closures to complete the work close to the railway.