Tornado - Merseyside and Glasgow charters!
Settle based livestock farmer and entrepreneur Hayden Fortune has signalled his intention to continue expanding the sphere of operations of his embryonic mainline rail steam charter business, HF Railtours in the most positive of ways, firstly a ‘Merseyside Tornado’ Liverpool - London and return followed by an eagerly awaited maiden trip for the A1 over Beattock, to Glasgow Central and return, with the ‘Caledonian Tornado’.

 
APT the neglected icon! Is it a project too far?
For what seems like an eternity the railway orientated museum at Crewe entitled The Railway Age, but referred to by most as Crewe Heritage Centre, has failed in most peoples eyes to fulfil an important role in what is perchance the world’s most famous railway town. That could be about to change. But are the 6 cars of the once ground breaking Derby built Advanced Passenger Train lodged at the centre an embarrassment of riches for the ambitious new management team?

 
Riddles WD steams again - A Preservation Milestone!
They may not be as eye-catching or readily recognisable as the UK’s host of preserved Pacific’s but the War Department 2-8-0 8f’s introduced between 1943 and 1945 by the then Ministry of Supply were a steam locomotive type that to use a popular modern day phrase ‘did exactly what it said on the tin’. Whilst recounting the rise of the ubiquitous Riddles WD 2-8-0 Keith Langston also highlights the return to steam of a survivor after a long and meticulous re-build.

 
Steam Archive Images - British Railways – Standard Locomotives
Many enthusiasts have compiled collections of pictures over the years and the internet now means that some fascinating images from the past can more easily be shown to others. The Keith Langston Collection is just one of many such libraries in which numerous of the pictures therein cannot be attributed to any particular individual; as in the past not everyone keep records. However it is in the interest of all that such images do not remain confined to the back of a draw. To that end we will change the pictures in these sections on a regular basis. Please do not attempt to copy them for publication if you require further information about any of them please use the 'contact us' facility on this web site to make your enquiry, preferably submitting a daytime phone number with your request.

 
Guest Photographer David Anderson
The work of David Anderson from Alnwick in Northumberland is a real delight. His black and white images are an accurate record of steam on his local patch; they inspire evocative memories of time’s past. If you would like to appear on this site as a Guest Photographer please contact us using the ‘contact’ us facility on this web site.

 
Rippingale Collection
These are the brief histories of the five locomotives which make up the collection. According to reports in the preserved railway media they are all offered for sale but hopefully at least one will stop at the P&B Rly for restoration there.

 
LNWR ‘Super D’ 0-8-0
Various types built between 1910 and 1922 and also G2a rebuilds between 1936 and 1947 at Crewe Works. Total taken into BR ownership in 1948 – 478 locos made up of 98 G1 6F Class, 60 G2 7F Class and 320 G2a 7F Class. Designed by Charles J Bowen-Cooke.

 
71000 Duke of Gloucester – Is ‘she’ now simply the best?
The years between 1973 and 1986 are now cherished memories for the dedicated team that set about recreating a steam engineering masterpiece The group’s efforts were recognised by The Association of Railway Preservation Societies at the time and were celebrated by a display at the MRM. Moreover thousands of rail enthusiasts have since marvelled at the result of the project which at the time was described accurately as being the impossible dream. The revolutionary Riddles ‘8P’ Class 1954 Crewe built 4-6-2, 71000 “Duke of Gloucester” is about to return to the main line which in its self represents the end of another ‘dream’. In 2004 the loco groups CME Keith Collier talked about the re-birth which had been anticipated for a long time.

 
6201 – to Glasgow Central - Return of the Lady in Red
No part of the original 1936 WCML steam hauled record set by 6201 Princess Elizabeth was ever in danger of being broken during this 2006 celebratory run. Nor should it have been, after all the venerable lady is well past the magic three score years and ten! The celebrated 1933 Crewe built Stanier Pacific made a triumphant return journey to Glasgow Central commemorating those historic earlier achievements. November 16th and 17th 2006 will long be remembered by those privileged to have ridden, or indeed witnessed, a very special running of the ‘Mid Day Scot’

 
Leek and Manifold - The one that got away.
“A line starting nowhere and ending up in the same place” was how the Leek & Manifold Valley Light Railway was described by one of the inhabitants it was meant to serve. It opened on June 27th 1904 and if it hadn’t closed on March 10th 1934 it would recently have celebrated its centenary. Steam ran in that staggeringly beautiful Staffordshire valley for only thirty years, will it ever return or simply remain another railway memory?