Steam Railway meets up with Gavin Collins, Chairman of the North Dorset Railway, and Phil Jacques, the line’s Operations Manager, to talk about what this S&D anniversary year (and beyond) holds for the expanding heritage line.

Sixty years ago this month, on March 6 1966, the Western Region achieved two major goals with the end of both steam power and the Somerset & Dorset route – bringing a mighty era to a rather grubby end.

Chiltern Railways introduced its first Mk. 5 set to passenger service on January 26, this taking over one of the diagrams previously worked by the Mk. 3 sets. Now officially dubbed Chiltern Explorers,

The long-awaited passenger-carrying debut of battery-powered 230001 on the Greenford branch finally occurred on January 31, the set forming 2G02, the 05.30 West Ealing-Greenford, before working throug

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This year also marks 70 years since Spetisbury station closed, a decade ahead of the Somerset & Dorset as a whole. But a dedicated group of volunteers is ensuring it is far from forgotten.