Marcus' Model Railway Journey

Dark Bordered Beauty Moth (Epione vespertaria)​

2nd

December Moth (Poecilocampa populi)​

2nd

Dark Crimson Underwing Moth (Catocala sponsa)​

1st

Scarce Crimson and Gold Moth (Pyrausta sanguinalis)​

1st

Swallow-tailed Moth (Ourapteryx sambucaria)​

1st

Hedge Beauty Moth (Alabonia geoffrella)​

1st

Buff-tip Moth (Phalera bucephala)​

1st

Boards Thursday 09/07/2026​

Cardiff Airport Scheduled Arrivals

Scheduled Departures

9th July, 2026

Victorian steam locomotive to star at Didcot gala​

Great Eastern Railway 209 Class No. 229


The Victorian steam age is the theme for this year’s Annual Steam Gala at the Didcot Railway Centre in September.

A star of the gala will be a Great Eastern Railway 209 Class 0-4-0 saddle tank engine, No. 229, affectionately known as the “Coffee Pot” or ‘Flat-Top’, with its name derived from its unusual flat-shaped water tank.

The Coal Stage and Water Tank at Didcot Railway Centre


No. 229 was built by Neilson and Company in Glasgow in 1876 for the Great Eastern Railway.

It was withdrawn during the First World War and sold by the Great Eastern for use at the National Shipyard in Chepstow, South Wales.

The National Shipyard later became Fairfield Mabey, from where it was sold in 1982, and moved to the North Woolwich Old Station Museum in East London, where it was cosmetically restored and on display from 1984 until 2008.


Newham Council closed the museum in 2008, and No. 229 was moved to Bill Parker’s Flour Mill workshop at Bream in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

One of the oldest steam locomotives in working order, weighing just 21 tons, and one of the smallest, a team at the Flour Mill has meticulously restored No. 229 to working order.


The gala promises to be an exciting weekend, with multiple locomotives working passenger and freight trains and performing shunting demonstrations.

The workshop areas, which are usually closed to the public, will be open, as will other parts of the site, including the signal box, traverser, turntable, and coal stage.

2999 Lady of Legend in steam at the Didcot Railway Centre


Visitors will be able to tour the engine shed, built in 1932, and view a display of restored rolling stock from Victorian times to the 1940s, including the VIP Saloon supposedly used by General Eisenhower during preparations for the Normandy D-Day landings.

Further information about the Didcot Railway Centre Annual Steam Gala is online at https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/…/autumn-steam-gala.

At the beginning of this month, 16 Alstom employees from Great Western Railway’s Reading Depot took on the challenge of pulling a 25-tonne locomotive by hand at Didcot Railway Centre to raise money for the Variety charity.