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Marcus' Model Railway Journey
- Thread starter Marcus Antonius
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Liverpool South Parkway
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Evero train approaching Liverpool South Parkway
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Class 26 No. 26038
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17th December, 2025
50050 on the Settle and Carlisle
Luxury experience touring company Saphos Trains is starting 2026 with a range of tours to beat the long nights and winter blues as part of its tours aimed at railway enthusiasts.
One of the trips features Class 50 haulage using MK1 stock from London Euston to Crewe and return, with recently refurbished No. 50050 ‘Fearless’ on the Fearless Express Railtour.
Departing London Euston at approximately 07:00 on Thursday 12th February 2026, the train hauled by ‘Fearless’ will make its way up the West Coast Main Line, via Bletchley, before picking up more passengers at Milton Keynes Central at about 07:50. The train will continue via Northampton, Nuneaton and Stafford before reaching Crewe.
Refurbished Class 50 to haul charter train next February
50050 on the Settle and Carlisle
Luxury experience touring company Saphos Trains is starting 2026 with a range of tours to beat the long nights and winter blues as part of its tours aimed at railway enthusiasts.
One of the trips features Class 50 haulage using MK1 stock from London Euston to Crewe and return, with recently refurbished No. 50050 ‘Fearless’ on the Fearless Express Railtour.
Departing London Euston at approximately 07:00 on Thursday 12th February 2026, the train hauled by ‘Fearless’ will make its way up the West Coast Main Line, via Bletchley, before picking up more passengers at Milton Keynes Central at about 07:50. The train will continue via Northampton, Nuneaton and Stafford before reaching Crewe.
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From here, No.50050 comes off, and the coaching stock becomes the train for the Cambrian Mountaineer Railtour with A2 No.60532 Blue Peter, which takes the train to Carlisle and back via Shap Summit.
Upon 60532’s return to Crewe with the train, the A2 is detached, and No.50050 is reattached to the train to take it back to London Euston. No.50050 will return to London via the same route to set down passengers.
Passengers wishing to stay on the train to ride behind Blue Peter to Carlisle will need to buy a separate ticket for that charter service, which is also being operated by Saphos trains.
The same coaching stock will also form Saphos’ Positioning Move railtour on the same date.
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New Tyne and Wear Metro train
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New Tyne and Wear Metro train
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BR Standard 4MT No. 75069
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Class 170 Hampden Park train
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18th December, 2025
Class 52 No. D1015
Class 52 No. D1015 is to haul The Pathfinder Finale this weekend (20th December), which will bid farewell to tour promoter, Pathfinder Railtours.
Departing Salisbury with a WCRC locomotive at 05:50, the train will pass through Westbury (Wilts) (06:18), Bath Spa (06:43), Bristol Parkway (07:28), Cam and Dursley (08:05), and Gloucester at 08:28.
Here, D1015 is added to the train and will depart at 08:53.
From here, the tour will head to Manchester Victoria and on a mini tour in the North West.
It will pass through Cheltenham Spa (09:02), Worcestershire Parkway (09:34), Birmingham New Street (10:23), Penkridge (11:12), Macclesfield (12:50), Stockport (13:04) and Manchester Victoria at 13:31.
The mini tour in the North West will depart at 13:35 and will pass through Wigan North Western (14:15), Acrrington (15:47), Todmorden (16:12), Rochdale (16:25) and Manchester Victoria (16:55).
The main tour will then head back to Salisbury via Warrington Bank quay (17:31), Crewe (18:07), Stafford (18:31), Birmingham New Street (19:29), Worcestershire Parkway (20:10), Cheltenham Spa (20:31) and Gloucester at 20:46.
From Gloucester, the WCRC diesel will take over again and will pass through Cam and Dursley (21:14), Bristol Parkway (21:38), Bath Spa (22:03), Westbury (22:34) and Salisbury at 23:10.
Where and when to see a Class 52 locomotive as it hauls The Pathfinder Finale
Class 52 No. D1015
Class 52 No. D1015 is to haul The Pathfinder Finale this weekend (20th December), which will bid farewell to tour promoter, Pathfinder Railtours.
Departing Salisbury with a WCRC locomotive at 05:50, the train will pass through Westbury (Wilts) (06:18), Bath Spa (06:43), Bristol Parkway (07:28), Cam and Dursley (08:05), and Gloucester at 08:28.
Here, D1015 is added to the train and will depart at 08:53.
From here, the tour will head to Manchester Victoria and on a mini tour in the North West.
It will pass through Cheltenham Spa (09:02), Worcestershire Parkway (09:34), Birmingham New Street (10:23), Penkridge (11:12), Macclesfield (12:50), Stockport (13:04) and Manchester Victoria at 13:31.
The mini tour in the North West will depart at 13:35 and will pass through Wigan North Western (14:15), Acrrington (15:47), Todmorden (16:12), Rochdale (16:25) and Manchester Victoria (16:55).
The main tour will then head back to Salisbury via Warrington Bank quay (17:31), Crewe (18:07), Stafford (18:31), Birmingham New Street (19:29), Worcestershire Parkway (20:10), Cheltenham Spa (20:31) and Gloucester at 20:46.
From Gloucester, the WCRC diesel will take over again and will pass through Cam and Dursley (21:14), Bristol Parkway (21:38), Bath Spa (22:03), Westbury (22:34) and Salisbury at 23:10.
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18th December, 2025
34067 Tangmere
34067 Tangmere will haul The Edinburgh Christmas Market train this Saturday (20th December 2025).
The train departs from York at 06:56 with a diesel locomotive and will pass through Northallerton (07:27), Durham (07:57), Newcastle (08:16), Hexham (09:09) and Carlisle at 10:02, where 34067 takes over the train.
34067 will depart at 10:30 and will pass through Lockerbie (11:01), Slateford (13:04) and Edinburgh at 13:13.
After time in Edinburgh, 34067 will depart at 16:46 and will pass through Slateford (17:09), Lockerbie (18:49) and Carlisle at 19:27.
The diesel loco takes back over and will head back to York via Haltwhistle (20:19), Newcastle (21:05), Durham (21:25), Northallerton (21:58) and York at 22:23.
Where to see steam locomotive 34067 Tangmere as it heads for Scotland this Saturday
34067 Tangmere
34067 Tangmere will haul The Edinburgh Christmas Market train this Saturday (20th December 2025).
The train departs from York at 06:56 with a diesel locomotive and will pass through Northallerton (07:27), Durham (07:57), Newcastle (08:16), Hexham (09:09) and Carlisle at 10:02, where 34067 takes over the train.
34067 will depart at 10:30 and will pass through Lockerbie (11:01), Slateford (13:04) and Edinburgh at 13:13.
After time in Edinburgh, 34067 will depart at 16:46 and will pass through Slateford (17:09), Lockerbie (18:49) and Carlisle at 19:27.
The diesel loco takes back over and will head back to York via Haltwhistle (20:19), Newcastle (21:05), Durham (21:25), Northallerton (21:58) and York at 22:23.
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18th December, 2025
Two visitors enjoy the travelling exhibition train
The exhibition train Inspiration has welcomed its 50,000th visitor as it cotinues to tour around locations across the United Kingdom.
Inspiration introduces visitors to the story of railways, and forms part of the railway industry’s celebration of its bicentenary.
It is co-curated with the National Railway Museum, and has four carriages containing interactive exhibits and stories.
Inspriation will stop at sixty locations across Britain between June 2025 and June 2026.
The first dates for next year’s visits were announced last month.
This week, Inspiration made its 28th stop, visiting the south coast city of Southampton, where sea shanties welcomed it and a mural has been created to commemorate the visit.
While it was there, the 50,000th visitor boarded the train to explore its contents.
Southampton is its most southerly destination to take, with its most northerly stop being in the Cairngorms in Scotland and as far south as Southampton.
It has travelled as far east as Lowestoft and its and as far west as Llandudno in North Wales.
Travelling exhibition train welcomes 50,000th visitor
Two visitors enjoy the travelling exhibition train
The exhibition train Inspiration has welcomed its 50,000th visitor as it cotinues to tour around locations across the United Kingdom.
Inspiration introduces visitors to the story of railways, and forms part of the railway industry’s celebration of its bicentenary.
It is co-curated with the National Railway Museum, and has four carriages containing interactive exhibits and stories.
Inspriation will stop at sixty locations across Britain between June 2025 and June 2026.
The first dates for next year’s visits were announced last month.
This week, Inspiration made its 28th stop, visiting the south coast city of Southampton, where sea shanties welcomed it and a mural has been created to commemorate the visit.
While it was there, the 50,000th visitor boarded the train to explore its contents.
Southampton is its most southerly destination to take, with its most northerly stop being in the Cairngorms in Scotland and as far south as Southampton.
It has travelled as far east as Lowestoft and its and as far west as Llandudno in North Wales.
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The exhibition train at Southampton
Inspiration has so far made 28 stops across the UK, travelled 6,086 miles, consumed 22,660 litres of HVO recycled vegetable oil fuel, spent 117 days open to the public and welcomed 51,402 visitors.
It has also been displayed in Derby at the biggest ever rail festival and at Shildon, where the modern railway was born.
People can also take a virtual tour of the train.
Visitors to Inspiration have enjoyed the experience, with nine in ten saying that they would recommend Inspiration to a friend.
Words that visitors have used to describe the exhbition train include “fascinating”, “brilliant” and “interactive”.
More information and tickets are available from the Railway 200 website.
Teachers can book visits for school children free of charge.
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Richard and Mags Wylie outside Inspiration in Southampton
“We are hugely proud to reach a major milestone for this travelling attraction: 50,000 happy visitors!
“We are truly thankful to everyone who’s visited so far, and we cannot wait to welcome even more people in 2026, including thousands more schoolchildren.
“It’s remarkable to think that railways, an invention dreamt up by brilliant British engineers 200 years ago, continue to connect communities across the UK and the world today.”
Emma Roberts, Programme Manager for Railway 200
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Thursday 18 Dec 2025
Wentloog Freightliner terminal Cardiff
If Network Rail did Christmas adverts, this would be ours. Join us for a festive look behind the scenes at Wentloog, where rail freight helps keep shelves stocked, supports Welsh industry and cuts congestion at the busiest time of year.
Rail freight is a major and complex logistical operation, bringing together infrastructure managers, freight operators, ports, terminals and retailers to keep goods moving reliably across the country - especially in the run-up to Christmas.
Together, we have enabled the safe transportation of more than 4,000 freight trains across the Wales and Borders network, in 2025.
Across the country, rail freight handles both every day and seasonal goods through key terminals such as Wentloog, in Cardiff, and other freight facilities across the region, ensuring festive deliveries reach local communities on time.
Wentloog, managed by Freightliner, is one of South Wales’ main container handling facilities, with five freight services operating each day - two Direct Rail Service and three Freightliner services.
The site operates as an intermodal terminal, where containers are transferred seamlessly between rail and road.
This allows goods to stay in the same container from port to distribution centre, improving efficiency and reducing the need for long-distance lorry journeys.
Freightliner's Cardiff terminal plays a particularly important role at Christmas.
Around 1,300 containers arrive every week, at Wentloog, equating to approximately 250,000 tonnes of goods in December alone - including food and drink destined for shops across Wales and the Borders.
The terminal also handles around 120 million litres of wine every year!
In this video, Network Rail and Freightliner have teamed up to spread some festive joy and to thank all those hard working railway-elves who help deliver Christmas.
Video: The rail freight teams working behind the scenes to deliver Christmas across Wales and Borders route
Region & Route: Wales & Western: Wales & BordersWentloog Freightliner terminal Cardiff
If Network Rail did Christmas adverts, this would be ours. Join us for a festive look behind the scenes at Wentloog, where rail freight helps keep shelves stocked, supports Welsh industry and cuts congestion at the busiest time of year.
Rail freight is a major and complex logistical operation, bringing together infrastructure managers, freight operators, ports, terminals and retailers to keep goods moving reliably across the country - especially in the run-up to Christmas.
Together, we have enabled the safe transportation of more than 4,000 freight trains across the Wales and Borders network, in 2025.
Across the country, rail freight handles both every day and seasonal goods through key terminals such as Wentloog, in Cardiff, and other freight facilities across the region, ensuring festive deliveries reach local communities on time.
Wentloog, managed by Freightliner, is one of South Wales’ main container handling facilities, with five freight services operating each day - two Direct Rail Service and three Freightliner services.
The site operates as an intermodal terminal, where containers are transferred seamlessly between rail and road.
This allows goods to stay in the same container from port to distribution centre, improving efficiency and reducing the need for long-distance lorry journeys.
Freightliner's Cardiff terminal plays a particularly important role at Christmas.
Around 1,300 containers arrive every week, at Wentloog, equating to approximately 250,000 tonnes of goods in December alone - including food and drink destined for shops across Wales and the Borders.
The terminal also handles around 120 million litres of wine every year!
In this video, Network Rail and Freightliner have teamed up to spread some festive joy and to thank all those hard working railway-elves who help deliver Christmas.
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WATCH VIDEO:
To watch video click this link:
This year, Network Rail has supported additional capacity at Wentloog by undertaking gauge clearance at Newport, enabling Direct Rail Services’ twice-daily intermodal trains to carry larger refrigerated containers.
With major retailers such as Tesco moving more than 30 per cent of their packaged Christmas range by rail, this has increased the movement of perishable goods, keeping products fresh while further reducing pressure on the road network.
Rail freight also underpins some of Wales’s most important industries, moving materials such as steel, construction products, timber, fuel and aggregates across the country.
It produces around 76 per cent less carbon emissions per tonne than road transport and contributes £2.5 billion to the UK economy each year.
Network Rail and freight operators continue to work closely with the UK Government to support the ambition to grow rail freight volumes by 75 per cent by 2050.
Richard Moody, Programme Director at Network Rail, said, “Rail freight companies are playing a central role in delivering Christmas cheer, ensuring families have everything they need to celebrate in style. With only a fraction of the emissions compared to road haulage, every tree, pudding and toy transported by rail helps to make Christmas greener.
“Many families will be unaware that much of their festive shopping has been carried by rail freight – one of Santa’s not-so-little helpers.”
From all of us at Network Rail Wales and Borders and Freightliner, Have a Merry Freightmas!
To watch video click this link:
This year, Network Rail has supported additional capacity at Wentloog by undertaking gauge clearance at Newport, enabling Direct Rail Services’ twice-daily intermodal trains to carry larger refrigerated containers.
With major retailers such as Tesco moving more than 30 per cent of their packaged Christmas range by rail, this has increased the movement of perishable goods, keeping products fresh while further reducing pressure on the road network.
Rail freight also underpins some of Wales’s most important industries, moving materials such as steel, construction products, timber, fuel and aggregates across the country.
It produces around 76 per cent less carbon emissions per tonne than road transport and contributes £2.5 billion to the UK economy each year.
Network Rail and freight operators continue to work closely with the UK Government to support the ambition to grow rail freight volumes by 75 per cent by 2050.
Richard Moody, Programme Director at Network Rail, said, “Rail freight companies are playing a central role in delivering Christmas cheer, ensuring families have everything they need to celebrate in style. With only a fraction of the emissions compared to road haulage, every tree, pudding and toy transported by rail helps to make Christmas greener.
“Many families will be unaware that much of their festive shopping has been carried by rail freight – one of Santa’s not-so-little helpers.”
From all of us at Network Rail Wales and Borders and Freightliner, Have a Merry Freightmas!
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Celebrating Britain - Jane Austen Collectors Sheet
2025 (December 16 2025)Commemorative
Generic Sheet
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Heddwch a Llawenydd i chi dros y Nadolig
Peace and Joy to you over Christmas
We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Lots of love from
Marcus, Cleo and Neo
(ethnon, cleopatra vii and neonlake)
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Flying Scotsman stands at Peterborough NVR
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19th December, 2025
Shap derailment damage
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is currently investigating a derailment of an Avanti West Coast Pendolino in Cumbria.
The accident happened at Shap in Cumbria on the 3rd November after the Pendolino hit a landslip whilst heading to London Euston.
The 04:28 from Glasgow Central to London Euston hit the landslip at 83mph.
Minor injuries were reported but thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.
Urgent safety advice has, however, been released by the RAIB as part of its ongoing investigation.
The investigation has found that lineside monitoring equipment used by Network Rail may not be able to detect the failure of slopes in some circumstances.
This may mean that the equipment may not provide the data as expected to support decision-making during extreme weather conditions.
Around 4 hours before the accident, the land sensors showed minor movement but were below the threshold to generate an alert.
At around 04:30, the two sensors in the landslip path were tipped over and subsumed by the material and the evidence suggests this happened too quickly to generate an alert to Network Rail.
The RAIB has also concluded that the sensors wireless signal was unable to pass through the debris to establish a connection.
Urgent safety advice released after Cumbria train derailment
Shap derailment damage
The Rail Accident Investigation Branch is currently investigating a derailment of an Avanti West Coast Pendolino in Cumbria.
The accident happened at Shap in Cumbria on the 3rd November after the Pendolino hit a landslip whilst heading to London Euston.
The 04:28 from Glasgow Central to London Euston hit the landslip at 83mph.
Minor injuries were reported but thankfully, no one was seriously hurt.
Urgent safety advice has, however, been released by the RAIB as part of its ongoing investigation.
The investigation has found that lineside monitoring equipment used by Network Rail may not be able to detect the failure of slopes in some circumstances.
This may mean that the equipment may not provide the data as expected to support decision-making during extreme weather conditions.
Around 4 hours before the accident, the land sensors showed minor movement but were below the threshold to generate an alert.
At around 04:30, the two sensors in the landslip path were tipped over and subsumed by the material and the evidence suggests this happened too quickly to generate an alert to Network Rail.
The RAIB has also concluded that the sensors wireless signal was unable to pass through the debris to establish a connection.
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19 Dec 2025
TfW santa
Passengers are being encouraged to plan their journey over the Christmas period, with key engineering taking place over Christmas and January.
No train services or rail replacement buses will be operating on 25 and 26 December. Services will finish earlier than normal on Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Eve and will start later on 27 December.
On New Year’s Day, TfW will be running a full mainline service and a reduced hourly service on local Cardiff and Valleys services (Vale of Glamorgan via Barry, Rhymney, Aberdare and Merthyr).
Planned engineering work
Passengers are reminded of the £1 fare after 5pm on TrawsCymru routes throughout the whole of December.
Find more information here £1 bus tickets after 5pm this December - Transport for Wales
Marie Daly, Chief Operating Officer at Transport for Wales said: "With essential engineering work taking place, planning ahead has never been more important.
"Our dedicated teams will be working throughout the festive season to keep services running across the Wales & Borders network and get passengers safely to their destinations.
“We thank everyone for their patience while we carry out the important work and wish all our passengers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
For more information, visit: Christmas travel advice | Transport for Wales | Timetables over the festive season - Transport for Wales.
TrawsCymru partners with Spark!
TfW santa
Passengers are being encouraged to plan their journey over the Christmas period, with key engineering taking place over Christmas and January.
No train services or rail replacement buses will be operating on 25 and 26 December. Services will finish earlier than normal on Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Eve and will start later on 27 December.
On New Year’s Day, TfW will be running a full mainline service and a reduced hourly service on local Cardiff and Valleys services (Vale of Glamorgan via Barry, Rhymney, Aberdare and Merthyr).
Planned engineering work
- Between 24-31 December, Network Rail will be undertaking essential engineering works west of Cardiff Central station. Some services may be retimed and subject to platform changes at Cardiff Central.
- From 29 December to 1 January 2026, engineering work will take place between Whitland / Haverfordwest and Milford Haven.
- From Sunday 4 January to Saturday 24 January 2026, the Aberdare line to Pontypridd will be closed. The closure will allow our maintenance teams to carry out safety critical work to an embankment in Mountain Ash, which is next to the railway line.
Passengers are reminded of the £1 fare after 5pm on TrawsCymru routes throughout the whole of December.
Find more information here £1 bus tickets after 5pm this December - Transport for Wales
Marie Daly, Chief Operating Officer at Transport for Wales said: "With essential engineering work taking place, planning ahead has never been more important.
"Our dedicated teams will be working throughout the festive season to keep services running across the Wales & Borders network and get passengers safely to their destinations.
“We thank everyone for their patience while we carry out the important work and wish all our passengers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
For more information, visit: Christmas travel advice | Transport for Wales | Timetables over the festive season - Transport for Wales.
- Train services will start to close down from 21:00 on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
- Our customer service and social media teams' opening hours will change and will be closed on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
- Rail replacement buses will be operating between Pontypridd and Treherbert
- There will be no Coryton, Penarth or Cardiff Bay services and trains will also not call at Barry Island.
- Maesteg services will operate as a shuttle between Bridgend and Maesteg during this period.
- All services to and from the west of Cardiff Central will call at all stations where possible, divert via Ninian Park (non‑stop) and run through Cardiff platform 4.
- Trains using the Ninian Park diversion will be retimed by a few minutes.
- Services previously running between Ebbw Vale Town and Maesteg will now operate between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central only.
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Friday 19 Dec 2025
Cardiff Central Christmas lights
Passengers travelling by train over the festive period are being urged to plan ahead and check their journeys in advance, as essential engineering work takes place near Cardiff Central station.
As usual, there will be no train services or rail replacement buses operating on Christmas Day or Boxing Day (25 and 26 December).
Services will also finish earlier than normal on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and will start later on 27 December.
Between 24 and 31 December, Network Rail Wales will carry out vital upgrades to the railway west of Cardiff Central Station to help keep services safe and reliable for passengers.
The work includes upgrades to the track infrastructure, including rails, sleepers, switches and crossings, and points, which guide trains safely from one line to another - with teams working day and night to complete the improvements safely.
To allow this work to take place, some tracks through Cardiff Central Station will be closed.
As a result, some services may be diverted, retimed or replaced by buses, and journeys elsewhere on the wider rail network may also be affected.
Passengers are strongly advised to check the latest travel information before travelling at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
“We know this work can affect journeys, so I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys. We’re grateful for everyone’s patience while our teams work around the clock to improve the railway, and we’d like to wish all our passengers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Network Rail carries out much of its major engineering work over the festive period, when fewer people are travelling and fewer trains are running.
This allows teams to safely close sections of the railway and complete essential upgrades while minimising disruption to passengers who rely on rail services for work or important appointments.
Christmas and New Year travel reminder for passengers across Wales and Borders
Region & Route: Wales & Western: Wales & BordersCardiff Central Christmas lights
Passengers travelling by train over the festive period are being urged to plan ahead and check their journeys in advance, as essential engineering work takes place near Cardiff Central station.
As usual, there will be no train services or rail replacement buses operating on Christmas Day or Boxing Day (25 and 26 December).
Services will also finish earlier than normal on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and will start later on 27 December.
Between 24 and 31 December, Network Rail Wales will carry out vital upgrades to the railway west of Cardiff Central Station to help keep services safe and reliable for passengers.
The work includes upgrades to the track infrastructure, including rails, sleepers, switches and crossings, and points, which guide trains safely from one line to another - with teams working day and night to complete the improvements safely.
To allow this work to take place, some tracks through Cardiff Central Station will be closed.
As a result, some services may be diverted, retimed or replaced by buses, and journeys elsewhere on the wider rail network may also be affected.
Passengers are strongly advised to check the latest travel information before travelling at www.nationalrail.co.uk.
Planned engineering work dates
- Wednesday 24 December to Wednesday 31 December - continuous work from 11.30pm on 24 December until 4.00am on 31 December
- Saturday 3 January to Sunday 4 January - 11.30pm to 9.00am
Transport for Wales services
- Maesteg services will operate as a shuttle between Bridgend and Maesteg.
- Services to and from west of Cardiff Central will call at all stations where possible, divert via Ninian Park (non-stop) and use Cardiff Central platform 4.
- Trains using the Ninian Park diversion will be retimed by a few minutes.
- Services that usually run between Ebbw Vale Town and Maesteg will instead operate between Ebbw Vale Town and Cardiff Central only.
Great Western Railway services
- On Saturdays and Sundays, trains between London Paddington and Cardiff Central, Swansea and Carmarthen may run up to two minutes earlier or later than usual.
- Services between Cardiff Central and Bridgend will be diverted via Ninian Park (non-stop), adding a few minutes to journey times.
- Calling times between Cardiff Central and Swansea or Carmarthen may be slightly earlier or later than normal.
“We know this work can affect journeys, so I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, check before they travel and allow extra time for their journeys. We’re grateful for everyone’s patience while our teams work around the clock to improve the railway, and we’d like to wish all our passengers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Network Rail carries out much of its major engineering work over the festive period, when fewer people are travelling and fewer trains are running.
This allows teams to safely close sections of the railway and complete essential upgrades while minimising disruption to passengers who rely on rail services for work or important appointments.
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- Ethnon
20th December, 2025
55022 D9000 Royal Scots Grey
On Wednesday 11 March next year, Saphos Trains will run the ‘Deltic Express’ from London Euston station.
The train will be hauled by BR Class 55 No. D9000 ‘Royal Scots Grey’.
55022 ‘Royal Scots Grey’ to haul Deltic Express in March
55022 D9000 Royal Scots Grey
On Wednesday 11 March next year, Saphos Trains will run the ‘Deltic Express’ from London Euston station.
The train will be hauled by BR Class 55 No. D9000 ‘Royal Scots Grey’.
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55022 “Royal Scots Grey” running as 55018 “Ballymoss” at Bridgnorth, SVR
The Deltic class of diesel locomotives was British Rail Class 55, and was built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric.
A total of 22 Deltic locos were built, having been designed to haul high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh.
The locomotives’ prototype was named Deltic, after its Napier Deltic power units, leading to the class becoming known by this name.
Deltic locomotives ran at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour, and provided the first 100mph passenger service on the UK railway.
Saphos Trains’ ‘Deltic Express’ rail tour will depart from London Euston at 7 o’clock in the morning and pick up passengers at Milton Keynes Central at 7:50.
After the day’s journey, it will return to Milton Keynes Central at 22:40 and London Euston at 23:40.
Timings are approximate and may be subject to change.
The train will travel from London Euston to Crewe.
Its journey will take it along the West Coast Main Line via Bletchley, Northampton, Nuneaton and Stafford.
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Euston Station
First class (non-dining) passengers will be seated at tables of four or two people and will be able to buy light refreshments and hot and cold drinks from the train’s buffet car.
Standard class (non-dining) passengers will be seated at tables of four and will also be able to make purchases from the train’s buffet car.
Tickets are available online from Saphos Trains.
The company is advising buyers that if they also plan to travel on its steam-hauled Cumbrian Mountaineer, they will need to purchase their tickets for each tour separately.
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20th December, 2025
Class-444 Train Platform
Starlink is to be used as part of a trial on South Western Railway services to provide a better internet connection for passengers.
The trial will use the Low Earth Orbit network to provide passengers on the Weymouth route with a boost in internet coverage in the New Forest.
As part of the trial, a Class 444 train has been fitted with the tech, which provides a coverage rate of 97%.
“We know how important reliable Wi-Fi is to our customers – it supports productivity, keeps people connected and entertained and makes rail an even more attractive and sustainable way to travel.
“By bringing satellite technology to our trains, we’re covering some of the hardest-to-reach parts of the network and showing that seamless connectivity is possible wherever you travel. This is another big step towards improving the onboard experience for our customers and we are excited to see how it can benefit more routes across our network in future.”
Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director
Starlink to be used on South Western Railway trains as part of WiFi trial
Class-444 Train Platform
Starlink is to be used as part of a trial on South Western Railway services to provide a better internet connection for passengers.
The trial will use the Low Earth Orbit network to provide passengers on the Weymouth route with a boost in internet coverage in the New Forest.
As part of the trial, a Class 444 train has been fitted with the tech, which provides a coverage rate of 97%.
“We know how important reliable Wi-Fi is to our customers – it supports productivity, keeps people connected and entertained and makes rail an even more attractive and sustainable way to travel.
“By bringing satellite technology to our trains, we’re covering some of the hardest-to-reach parts of the network and showing that seamless connectivity is possible wherever you travel. This is another big step towards improving the onboard experience for our customers and we are excited to see how it can benefit more routes across our network in future.”
Peter Williams, South Western Railway’s Customer and Commercial Director
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Greater Anglia train at Walton-on-the-Naze
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Greater Anglia train
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New Tyne and Wear Metro train
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New Tyne and Wear Metro train at St James Station
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New Tyne and Wear Metro train on test.
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20th December, 2025
LNER Class A3 4-6-2 Pacific No. 60103 “Flying Scotsman”
Vintage Trains has announced a range of tours featuring Flying Scotsman next year.
The tour operator says that this will be the first time ever that the public can ride behind this express steam locomotive right from the heart of Birmingham City Centre.
First up will be on Valentine’s Day, when Flying Scotsman will haul three Valentine’s Shakespeare Express trains from Birmingham to Stratford Upon Avon with the option of brunch, afternoon tea or a three course dinner, or standard seating in tourist cars with the option of a buffet car.
During Half Term, on the 18th, 19th and 20th, Flying Scotsman will haul five daily services from Birmingham Moor Street.
Journeys will take around an hour with a chance to have a photo with the locomotive before or after your trip.
Tickets are limited and are on sale now but once they are gone, they are gone.
More details on the Vintage Trains website.
Vintage Trains announces range of tours with Flying Scotsman
LNER Class A3 4-6-2 Pacific No. 60103 “Flying Scotsman”
Vintage Trains has announced a range of tours featuring Flying Scotsman next year.
The tour operator says that this will be the first time ever that the public can ride behind this express steam locomotive right from the heart of Birmingham City Centre.
First up will be on Valentine’s Day, when Flying Scotsman will haul three Valentine’s Shakespeare Express trains from Birmingham to Stratford Upon Avon with the option of brunch, afternoon tea or a three course dinner, or standard seating in tourist cars with the option of a buffet car.
During Half Term, on the 18th, 19th and 20th, Flying Scotsman will haul five daily services from Birmingham Moor Street.
Journeys will take around an hour with a chance to have a photo with the locomotive before or after your trip.
Tickets are limited and are on sale now but once they are gone, they are gone.
More details on the Vintage Trains website.
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21st December, 2025
60532 Blue Peter
Saphos Trains is to run a ‘Cumbrian Mountaineer’ rail tour on Thursday 12 February next year.
The tour will depart from Crewe at 10.35 in the morning, returning there at 20.30.
Timings are approximate and may change.
The company is running this service – followed by another one in March – specifically to measure the performance of its Class 8 Pacific locomotives.
This train will be hauled by 60532 ‘Blue Peter’, which returned to service following an overhaul last year.
Steam locomotive 60532 Blue Peter set for February tour
60532 Blue Peter
Saphos Trains is to run a ‘Cumbrian Mountaineer’ rail tour on Thursday 12 February next year.
The tour will depart from Crewe at 10.35 in the morning, returning there at 20.30.
Timings are approximate and may change.
The company is running this service – followed by another one in March – specifically to measure the performance of its Class 8 Pacific locomotives.
This train will be hauled by 60532 ‘Blue Peter’, which returned to service following an overhaul last year.
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60532 Blue Peter at Kidderminster
The service will travel along the West Coast Main Line, and will travel through Preston and the county town of Lancaster.
The locomotive will climb the severe 1 in 75 gradients of Grayrigg and Shap Summit. As it climbs over the Lakeland Fells, the journey offers passengers attractive views of the Cumbrian mountains and the high Pennines.
It will then descend to Penrith, and from there will head on to Carlisle past some impressive Lakeland scenery.
The train will remain at Carlisle for around two hours, so that passengers can disembark and explore the ancient city near the border between England and Scotland, where attractions include the castle, cathedral, Tullie House Museum and a shopping centre.
The return journey will also be hauled by a steam locomotive, and will retrace the outward journey.
The train will steam over Shap Summit from Carlisle and travel back to Crewe.
First-class passengers will be seated at tables of four or two people and will be able to buy light refreshments and hot and cold drinks from the train’s buffet car.
Standard class passengers will be seated at tables of four and will also be able to make purchases from the train’s buffet car.
Tickets are available online from Saphos Trains.
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Masovian Railways of Poland FLIRT train
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Siemens Mireo-B battery powered train
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