Undergoing repair in Pemberton depot is 2-8-0 No.3716. She was originally built in 1912 by Montreal Locomotive as a Class N3b coal-burner. She was rebuilt in 1929 and reclassified N2b. Later in he... (more)

This fine, atmospheric image taken in 1934 at King's Cross Station by an unknown photographer, shows the classic lines of Class A1 Pacific 'Dick Turpin' The locomotive is about to depart northward... (more)

Of course we all know it can't be the 'real thing', but the Severn Valley's recreation of the 'Flying Scotsman' express is surely as closeasthat. OK, we could pick up on a few anomalies, but hey c... (more)

The steam railways of Ireland as they entered the 50s appeared as if caught in a time warp. Ancient rolling stock, sleepy archaic backwaters and a bewildering variety of gauges were just some of t... (more)

Here's a wonderful locomotive portrait from my archive. It was taken at Crewe, probably around 1960 by the late Jim Carter. Jim was a railwayman and he had access (and opportunity) to take images ... (more)

Although I never saw any of the seventy-six 'D49s' turn a wheel in BR days, as an eleven year old in 1960, I can clearly remember my excitement at seeing two of them 'stored' (with sacks over thei... (more)

A jaw-dropping assembly of motive power simmers in the yard outside the MPD at Haworth in Yorkshire (of Bronte sisters fame). Left to Right: LMS '8F' 2-8-0 No.48431, GWR 0-6-0 Pannier Tank No.5775... (more)

All was absolutely still and overnight mists still lingered. At 0700 the sun was yet to rise in Jingpeng valley. A rising crescendo of sound from an unseen source was building until - finally, th... (more)

The late Jim Carter (1937-2011) was that most unusual of railway photographers in that he was also a working footplate railwayman. His job allowed him vantage points and perspectives seldom permit... (more)

Of all the surreal and truly wonderful sights I ever encountered, this must surely rank near the top. I had gone to the NYMR's annual gala unprepared, with no idea what was running. I chose the 'q... (more)

The phrase 'cradle of the industrial revolution' was nowhere more encapsulated than inside a locomotive roundhouse of the former North Eastern Railway, in this case Sunderland. The adjective 'decr... (more)

Shattered dreams! If ever there was such a place as the mythical 'elephant's graveyard', then surely this is the equivalent for the noble 'iron horse'. Slowly sinking into the mire is this woebego... (more)

The harsh mountains take on unreal hues under an impossibly azure sky. A pair of decorated QJs with 6638 piloting, drift lazily (and economically) downhill on the sharp curved approach to the famo... (more)

The 'grouping' of Britain's many independent railways in 1923 heralded the end of glorious sights like this. It is 1922 and a 1912-built Caledonian Railway '139' class 4-4-0 in the Caledonian's wo... (more)

It was foggy as I arrived in Leicester and I could only hope that getting 'up close' might be worthwhile. As the early sun filtered through the mist, 'Taw Valley' hurtled by heading for Rothley an... (more)