ISSUE 209
November 19 – December 16
News
HEADLINE NEWS 6
Flying Scotsman ticket sales frenzy
causes website to crash; West
Somerset Railway to run biggest
Somerset & Dorset gala ever to mark
the 50th anniversary of closure;
Prince Charles takes a trip along the
Ecclesbourne Valley Railway;
LMS poster sells for £24,000 and calls
to rebuild the ‘forgotten’ National
Collection steam locomotive.

NEWS 10
Peppercorn's widow dies; National
Railway Museum wins top award for
York Theatre Royal collaboration;
Bulleid West Country Sidmouth in
line for restoration; Dawlish Warren
to close its camping coaches after 81
years; boiler barrel for new Standard
3MT tank delivered to Bridgnorth;
world’s most powerful steam
locomotive back in traffic; action
from Bluebell Giants of Steam, Mid
Hants and Battlefield autumn galas
and Snowdonian narrow gauge
spectacular; and a stunning opener
for new Mountsorrel Railway.

MAIN LINE NEWS 56
Flying Scotsman for Irish tour first leg
and Borders Railway debut; Jeremy
Hosking buys ‘Black Five’; latest RAIB
update of Wootton Basset SPAD
investigation and St Blazey turntable
listed by English Heritage.

WITH FULL REGULATOR 64
Don Benn reports on recent steam
performances on the Berks & Hants
line.

Regulars
Centre spread 54
Jonathon Gourlay’s picture of
No. 62712 Morayshire on one of
its final runs before withdrawal.

Main Line Tours 63
Steam and heritage diesel
railtours.

Railwayana 52
Geoff Courtney’s regular column.

Scale Heritage Railway 84
New Lancashire & Yorkshire tank
from Locomotionmodels.com

Off the Shelf 86
Latest book and DVD releases.

Platform 88
Where your views matter most.

Up & Running 92
Museums and heritage lines.

The Month Ahead 106
Guide to railways running in December.

Features

The last ‘pegs’standing
Semaphore signalling
is now confined to
only a few areas, but
some still witness the
regular passage of
steam trains.
Alan Weaver,
together with Barry
Lewis, search out the
surviving ones on the
North Wales Coast
route... even though
their days are now
numbered.46

Kirkby Stephen remembered
Both of Kirkby Stephen’s stations have been closed but
reopened again. Robert Anderson recalls a trip in 1961
just before closure of the Stainmore line through Kirkby
Stephen East.68

Train World: The new Belgian Railway Museum
Despite its illustrious railway history, Belgium has only
just opened its national railway museum. John Titlow
reports on a long overdue event, which appears to be
somewhat controversial.76