EXPERT ANALYSIS OF THE ISSUES AFFECTING TODAY’S MAIN LINE CHARTER SCENE

We’re heading into a momentous year for railway preservation as the Talyllyn Railway marks 75 years since it was saved from almost certain extinction to become the first heritage railway. But how did the concept of railway preservation emerge and develop? MARK PEARCE digs deeper.

As 2025 draws to a conclusion, it’s time to look back at another varied year on Britain’s railways, and, as ever, there have been many developments, not all for the better, but plenty of good news as

PRESERVED PEAK 45133’s Sulzer 12LDA28-B engine was started on December 11 for the first time in eight years, since the loco was stopped for overhaul in September 2017. The loco, owned by the Class 45/

Overhauls, restorations and running notes

August 2, 1980 – the day I saw my first High Speed Train. I can well recall that day, three months after I’d started spotting. We were on our way to Newquay for a family holiday. We didn’t have a car