Pilgrimage to beattock spotting in 1954 and 1963

1M86, the 09.35 Glasgow Central-St Pancras, was the famous Up Thames Clyde Express and ran via the Glasgow Sou’ Western route, then the Settle and Carlisle line to Leeds, and then took the Midland Mai

The article ‘A whirlwind Scottish shed bash: 1965’ (Steam Days, May 2023) reminded me of an epic Scottish shed and line bash I was fortunate enough to undertake in August 1959, while steam was still p

Being too young to go to Shildon in 1975, my railway hobby started with the Liverpool and Manchester Rocket 150 celebrations in May 1980. I have lasting memories of visiting Rainhill for the cavalcade

PART ONE

Last issue was a bit of a mare for me. I had heard the whisper that Pathfinder Railtours was going to announce it would end running trains, so I had this column written accordingly, and then… the anno

Even before I moved to the Chester area for work in autumn 1955, family visits via the city and its railway hub and on into Wales were regularly undertaken, always by train, but now I was living in Sa