She’s a little star - Fenchurch is without a doubt one of the most amazing small locos around.

9F No 92245 storms out of Combe Down tunnel near Bath on 7 July 1962 with a Bradford to Bournemouth train. At 1,829 yards, it was the longest in Britain without ventilation shafts, it had tight clearances too. Now converted into a cycle/walking path, it cannot have been much fun for the enginemen.

We will be there! If you are going to the show at the NEC, do drop by our stand to see our latest railway titles, a wide range of books from our back list and railway titles from the publishers distributed by Crecy. Hopefully a special offer or two will be also be found on our stand.

The LMS introduced the Princess Coronation class Pacifics in 1937 of which 38 were built. On 4 April 1961 No 46231 Duchess of Hamilton is seen at Bangor working the 9.50am service from Crewe to Holyhead.

I do like pictures of lines that are now heritage railways, before they were famous. There is little information with this print other than that it is a Drummond 0-4-4T, the number looks like 109, approaching Medstead station on what is now of course the Mid Hants Railway, in SR days.

A lovely shot of Jubilee No 45567 South Australia accelerating away from Crewe on 3 April 1953 on an unidentified Up working. This type of angle was popular with photographers back then and was very effective. Nowadays, it'd probably be treated as a trespass incident.

An always agreeable task for me is having a quick read of Southern Way proofs before it goes to press. Just started on No 71 out this month. So as always, a taster, from a feature on the SR in 1965, Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train leaves Waterloo on 24 January 1965. crecy.co.uk/product/sout...

It’s not been a great few days for the railway network, first #Huntingdon now a derailment at #Shap which will probably affect the #WCML for days. Sympathy for all staff and passengers involved in the consequences of these events.

They weren't pretty, but the five impressive looking H16 4-6-2Ts, were built to Urie's design in 1921/22 for the LSWR. Used for freight exclusively, No 30517 is seen at Thorpe Lane Crossing between Egham and Staines in May 1952 on Up goods probably heading for Feltham yard.

The railway network across Britain and Ireland is constantly evolving, so it's no surprise then that the Railway Atlas of Great Britain and Ireland is now in its 16th edition. www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/new...

This could be a scene from the last years of BR services on the Severn Valley branch, as steam and diesel trains cross at Arley.

The Severn Valley line is at its very best at this time of year, the changing colours of the trees and the light can be stunning, as they were today.

Playing with the big train set today guarding the DMU, the original one, the ´new’ one in for maintenance this week. Proper DMU turnaround on the second departure from Bridgnorth station a full 5 minutes! We arrived and departed 5 late but got to Kidderminster 2 minutes early. #SevernValleyRailway

In this undated view, Castle No 5034 Corfe Castle pilots an unidentified classmate at Whiteball summit on what is noted as the 10.20am Paddington to Paignton service, passing 2-6-2 tank No 5157 which had assisted a previous express up from Taunton.

Completing the lineup of new build steam locomotives today and my next chariot 2999 Lady of Legend!

Crewe Junction box’s GWR lower quadrant home signals on the line from Crewe at #Shrewsbury station, close to the site of the 1907 accident. There cannot be many like these left on the UK’s railway network.

We are at the Frankfurt Book Fair this week, the biggest book trade event in the calendar with over 4,000 publishers from 90 or more countries attending. Pleasant change to be able to take a train to work, in this case the Frankfurt S Bahn.

Just published, our modest contribution to the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton & Darlington, a reprint of Cecil J. Allen's long out of print history of the NER, a bargain at only £9.99. crecy.co.uk/product/the-...

Ivatt 2-6-2T No 41226 passes Bangor No 2 Box on 3 August 1964 with a push/pull from Gaerwen. The train would've served Llanfair PG and Menai Bridge stations on its short journey across the Menai strait. The one other station on this route, Brittania Bridge, closed as long ago as October 1858!

From a file in the Archive on North Wales branch lines, No 78058 brings a goods train from Amlwch through Llangwyllog station on 21 May 1962. The branch lost its passenger trains in 1964, but freight survived into the 1990s. The line remains in situ and sporadic efforts to restore it continue.

As well as the line from Rhyl to Corwen featured here previously, Denbigh was served by a lengthy branch to Chester via Mold which lost it passenger trains in 1962. An all stations train from Chester is seen on this line, in a stunning setting, in November 1961 between Caerwys and Bodfari stations.

Stanier designed 2-6-2T No 40084 is seen arriving at Rhudllan on 12 August 1955 with a train from Denbigh to Rhyl. Passenger services on this section of line ended the following month on 22nd September.

I hope passengers in the front coach of this Euston to Liverpool train, behind Royal Scot No 46146 The Rifle Brigade, had the windows closed, as the fireman hasn't raised the scoop in time on Whitmoor troughs in an undated, but post 1956 view, when the revised BR crest on the tender, was introduced.

You learn something new every day.

A lengthy mixed train, consisting mostly of cattle wagons, leaves Ballinluig, on the former Highland Railway branch to Aberfeldy, on 23 August 1961, hauled by 0-4-4T No 55217, a Caledonian design dating from 1900. This line lost its passenger services in May 1965.

Our last look at the Kingswear line features another of its named trains. The Up Devonian, heading for Bradford probably, is seen between Churston and Goodrington Sands on 1 August 1953 headed by Castle No 5059 Earl St Aldwyn. An LMR loco would take over at Bristol Temple Meads for the run north.

Things weren't going quite as planned on 4 September 1958. A Castle hauling the Down Torbay Express failed en route from Paddington to Kingswear to be replaced by 2-6-0 No 5358, seen here climbing away from Goodrington Sands, whose extensive carriage sidings can be glimpsed above the rear coach.

Continuing our brief look at the Kingswear line, this train is headed there from Exeter, passing under Shaldon bridge on the main line at Teignmouth. The loco is long time #SVR resident No 7812 Erlestoke Manor, allocated to Newton Abbot (83A)for most of the 1950s before moving in 1960 to Oswestry.

There was one branch off the Paignton to Kingswear line, that from Churston to Brixham. Just over 2 miles in length, it opened as a broad gauge line in 1868 and closed in 1963. On 29 April 1958, a very clean No 1472 leaves Brixham propelling its single Autocoach towards Churston.

Thanks to @saveredlandlibr.bsky.social I’ve just seen there’s a #hashtag doing the rounds #TrainTuesday. What a great idea, I’m up for that.

As I was reminded by @waterloosunsetrail.bsky.social the Kingswear line was passed for the GWR's heaviest locos including the 47XXs which were sometimes used on passenger trains on busy summer Saturdays such as 4 July 1959. No 4706 leaves Churston with the 1.25pm service from Paddington to Kingswear

Found some fine pictures of what's now the Dartmouth Steam Railway. In GWR/BR days this was virtually an extension of the main line to the west. For years it had through coaches from Liverpool that ran via Shrewsbury. In a 1951 view they're arriving at Kingswear behind Castle No 7000 Viscount Portal

A final glance at the Reading/Basingstoke line, according to our British Railways Atlas 1955 crecy.co.uk/product/brit... the regional boundary was here at Reading West where No 30783 Sir Gillemere heads a York/Bournemouth service on 23 July 1955. This would be a Voyageur today, yuck!

More motive power variety from the Basingstoke to Reading line as Black Five No 45263 leaves Basingstoke with a train from Portsmouth Harbour to Wolverhampton on 14 August 1965.

Our new Autumn catalogue is now available, nice cover, even if I say so myself. It can be downloaded from our web site; crecy.co.uk/our-autumn-2... or if you would like a free of charge copy through the post, contact us at [email protected]

Another picture from the Basingstoke to Reading line. I might need help here, the only information on the print is that this is a train for Reading near Bramley, around 1948. The 4-4-0's number is hard to read. It looks like 1426, if so, it's an L12, a Dugald Drummond LSWR design dating from 1904.

I found an interesting file in the Archive on the Reading to Basingstoke line in steam days featuring locos from the WR, SR and LMR regions on various services. Here No 6953 Leighton Hall leaves Basingstoke on 28 April 1962 with 10.07am Southampton Terminus to Reading train.

The crossword in this month’s #RailwayMagazine is a bit rough, one of the clues has 13 letters. I’m on to #Wikipedia already.

The latest issue of Southern Way, No 70, arrived today. The cover shows King Arthur class No 30451 Sir Lamorak heading west at Deepcut with the 2.54pm service from Waterloo to Basingstoke on 18 September 1961. Copies available post free to UK post codes via our web site; crecy.co.uk/product/sout...

A superb photo of a very well presented B17, No 61635 Milton, passing through Pinchbeck, north of Spalding, with a Harwich to Liverpool service, in July 1951. The large 6ft 8in driving wheels of these handsome locos, introduced in 1928, are shown to good effect in the picture.

The new 4th edition of Rail Atlas Then and Now has just arrived at the warehouse. This is a really useful volume which contrasts the network in 1923 with that remains today. The 'Now' maps have been fully revised and updated for the new edition. crecy.co.uk/product/rail...

I think this is the first example of a LT&SR loco I've found in the files. 3P 4-4-2T No 41975 leaves Luffenham with the 2.57pm Seaton to Stamford Town service on 31 May 1958. One of only 14 on BR's books in 1957, this was a MR/LMS development of a Whitelegg LT&SR design first introduced in 1897.

I've been busy with the scanner this afternoon. For starters, No 4080 Powderham Castle, then allocated to Westbury, is seen at Dorchester Junction with a Paddington to Weymouth train in August 1951.

A little something for the weekend, just use the code SL30 at the checkout to claim your discount on the full range of Silver Link titles which are now up on our web site. crecy.co.uk/imprint/silv...

Though passenger services on the branch from Elbowend Junction near Dunfermline, to Charlestown, on the north bank of the Firth of Forth, ended in 1926, it retained goods trains into the 1960s. B1 4-6-0 No 61407 leaves Charlestown with a short goods for Dunfermline in July 1966.

A sight that’s been awaited for decades seen at Bridgnorth on #SevernValleyRailway today. A fire warms the newly refurbished boiler of 1947 Swindon built Prairie No 4150, the last #SVR ex Barry loco to be restored. Allocated for many years to Stourbridge Junction, a perfect engine for use on the SVR

First in the field and still one if the best, we had a splendid trip on the Talylynn today.

Buses in Shenley Road, Borehamwood (1970s) 📍 www.theundergroundmap.com?id=2144 #borehamwood #herts

It’s expensive and aspects of it are annoying but thanks to the scenery and the motive power, it’s still the most impressive heritage line I’ve ever travelled on. #WelshHighland.

Contrasts on The Cob yesterday, SAR Garret No 87, Fairlie David Lloyd George and ex Dinorwic 0-4-0ST Velnheli.