Great Western Railway

An iconic steam locomotive which took part in trials against the Flying Scotsman in 1925 is coming to Peterborough this December.

The 102-year-old 4079 Pendennis Castle, originally built for the Great Western Railway, will be visiting the Neen Valley Railway between December and January.

described as one of the most celebrated steam locomotives ever built by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

She was built in 1924 at Swindon Works.

And how do you suggest I go about that little assignment?

The chairman of the Great Western Railway has placed the Royal Train at your disposal.

All other traffic will be cleared off the tracks.

Now, you should reach Land's End shortly after lunch.

There's a great connection between Bristol and Brunel.

He built the Great Western Railway, which initially was between London and Bristol.

He built Temple Meath Station in Bristol, where it stops.

He built two of his boats there, the Great Britain and the Great Western.

It's a superbly built piece of engineering that just evokes the whole era of industrial revolution, the peak of the Victorian age.

It is widely considered to be Brunel's greatest feat of railway engineering.

The Royal Albert Bridge across the river Tamar at Saltash is on the Great Western Railway.

And it was an amazing innovation at the time because it was using raw time.

Some Great Western steam.

Because the advert that they had, I mean, he's reading the Great Western railway book, but then he's obviously going about spoons, which was a hint of 47.

But, you know, a bit of a tease felt like.

And I think that's what's missing.

The map that year shows that there was a determination to use about 11 fields with the River Waldron running through it.

A little local story is that the land was given to prevent the Great Western Railway Company building a station here in the area.

Oh.

But it's known that LNWR were seeking to construct the Crewe to Chester line alongside the River Waldron, and the land there wasn't firm enough Otherwise the park wouldn't be here now.

A great story to kick off with.

A special train hauled by GWR preservation pioneer Clun Castle is gonna mark the 75th anniversary of Heritage Rail with a trip from Birmingham Snow Hill to the Severn Valley Railway on November the 2nd.

The train's been organized in partnership between the Heritage Railway Association, Vintage Trains, and the SVR, scheduled to coincide with the HRA's autumn conference in Birmingham.

Titled The Volunteer, the train celebrates the role of volunteers in Heritage Rail's success.

If it comes up again and you can do it, I would urge you to do it.

An exciting one to end on.

GWR 460 number 6024 King Edward I has been spotted out on mainline testing following a comprehensive overhaul.

Looking fabulous, it will be heading to the Nene Valley Railway this weekend, October 10th and 11th, might go and have a look, offering a rare opportunity to travel behind the 1930 locomotive.

The Clifton Suspension Bridge was the widest in the world when it was completed.

And the Great Western Railway that connected London to Bristol was the longest in the world.

But Brunel wasn't one to rest on his laurels.

At a back-slapping meeting, the directors of the Great Western Railway were congratulating themselves on the completion of their project.

Brunel is said to have drawn on his cigar and jokingly proposed, why not make it even longer? Why not have a steamboat go from Bristol to New York? Brunel's off-the-cuff remark soon became a serious proposition.

and he was given the go-ahead to build the SS Great Western, a wooden-hulled paddle steamer.

People were doubting she would actually float.

30,000 spectators lined the banks of the harbour, and the SS Great Britain even got the Royal Seal of Approval from Queen Victoria's husband.

Sunny Aberystwyth.

we start in the Vale of Rydal's magnificent museum, housed in the gloriously restored 1938 Great Western Railway engine shed.

As you can see, a variety of rather unusual rolling stock that you wouldn't expect to find, perhaps, in a standard gauge former running shed.

No, well, what's interesting about this, Tim, is there's multiple gauges here, so.

Once we leave the outskirts of Aberystwyth behind, this section is known as The Flats, a relatively flat, gentle run along the floodplain towards Capel Bangor.

We arrive at Kappelbanger station where there is a passing loop enabling trains to pass during busy periods.

The station buildings have been rebuilt in the style and colours of the Great Western Railway.

The large shed houses some of the railway's heritage collection.

So we'll go through that one now briefly just to provide context needed to understand how this system is supposed to work to protect trains that are running.

It's been around in some form with the earliest version being introduced on the Great Western Railway since 1905. but it's been developed and improved over time.

Following the Harrow and Wheelston disaster in 1952, which we covered all the way back in episode 17, the Ministry of Transport standardised an AWS design for Britain's railways in 1956.

The system works when magnets on the track trigger receivers on trains, and depending on what the magnets communicate, one of two indications will be provided on the train.