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It was withdrawn during the First World War and sold by the Great Eastern for use at the National Shipyard in Chepstow, South Wales.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

Eurostar 3999

Eurostar

Sandhills Station with the first of Merseyrail's new trains

A Merseyrail battery-operated train at Headbolt Lane

New Merseyrail Class 777 train

Colas Rail Freight class 70 passing Northallerton on the 4th of July 2026

EWS 37 250 and Virgin-liveried 47 715 roll in to Keighley at the KWVR diesel gala, 19/6/26

Royal Mail

Moths Half Sheet 2nd Class x 25​

Royal Mail

Moths Half Sheet 1st Class x 25​

Boards Friday 10/07/2026​

Cardiff Airport Scheduled Arrivals

Scheduled Departures

Ranger92 09 July 2026

Cardiff IAP ..runway in use 12 ..to 30 08:45
​

USMC KC-130J 169018 'RANGER92' finals in the setting sun Cardiff Airport 09 July 2026, first one of a pair.

10th July, 2026

Train named to celebrate next year’s Invictus Games​

The Spirit of Invictus at Birmingham International station


London Northwestern Railway has named one of its trains The Spirit of Invictus in celebration of the Invictus Games, which are to be held in Birmingham next year.

The naming, which was carried out in partnership with the Invictus Games Foundation, was performed yesterday, 9th July, on Platform 16 at London Euston Station by broadcaster, veteran, and Invictus Games competitor JJ Chalmers.

The name, The Spirit of Invictus, was chosen by the public in a competition for a name that celebrates courage, resilience, and service and reflects the spirit of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans around the world.


The Spirit of Invictus adorns the side of a driving carriage on a Class 350 Desiro train, No. 3501111, and can be seen on services operated across the London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway networks, including Birmingham, Northampton, Milton Keynes, Watford, and London Euston.


The first Invictus Games were held in London in 2014, since when the Invictus Movement has used the power of sport to support the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans around the world.

Working year-round and with an increasing number of nations, the Foundation helps veterans long after their military service has ended.

Next year’s Invictus Games in Birmingham 2027 will be the first time they have been held in the UK since the inaugural Games were held in London.


In 2022, the Commonwealth Games were held in Birmingham, and on that occasion, the offer of free cycle hire saw bikes travel 49,000 miles in 12 days.

Transport operators also used 600 shuttle buses to get spectators to and from the games’ venues.


“The staging of the Invictus Games in Birmingham is a hugely significant moment for both the city and the country. We are proud to partner with the Invictus Games Foundation to unveil The Spirit of Invictus, which we hope will inspire customers to learn more about the Invictus Movement. We were delighted to welcome more than twenty ex-servicepeople from our own company to today’s launch, including the driver and guard who operated its first journey. With more than a million passengers using our services every week, this distinctive train will fast become a feature of the railway in the lead-up to the Birmingham Invictus Games and beyond.”

Jonny Wiseman, Customer Experience and Commercial Director, London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway