Making Tracks Railway Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Making Tracks we visit the Cheshire town of Crewe, once dubbed the ' Railway Capital of the World ' -and see how the the town's railway and industrial inheritance is being preserved at the Crewe Heritage Centre, We meet three trustees and take a walk around the museum, sit in the cab of the only remaining APT – Advanced Passenger Train and explore...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Making Tracks, Alasdair Stewart goes over old ground, or rather underground, as he revisits the post office railway – or Mail Rail as it has become known in recent decades, which is part of London's Postal Museum. Alasdair was keen to take a journey on the railway after working as a contracting engineer on the track upgrade underground nearly 10 years ago....

Send us Fan Mail This episode is a tale of two railways both celebrating milestones.   A new beginning of the final stretch the two mile  missing link that will join Robertsbridge to Tenterden and the Kent and East Sussex Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway Society marking 70 years. The inauguration of the RVR's new turntable coincided with the K&ESR 50th  We meet volunteers from both rail...

Send us Fan Mail This episode of Making Tracks finds us once again in Sussex visiting a gem of a Railway, The Lavender Line just outside Uckfield. It is then onward to Robertsbridge to talk over plans, now getting underway for the rebuilding of the Rother Valley Railway, which will re-connect the Kent and East Sussex Railway to the National Network. A chance while we were in Sussex to head to the...

Send us Fan Mail We visit  Amberley Museum in West Sussex. Get off on the main line at Amberley and you are there, at this excellent  showcase of rural, transport, industrial and communications history of the south of England. They're also recent recipients of The King’s Award for Voluntary Service … staying with the subject of volunteering ..the main stay of many heritage railways – later in...

Send us Fan Mail This edition of Making Tracks is a Christmas Selection Box: We talk Santa trains and seasonal specials with Eleri Mottram at the WHR , and Neil Dale from the Durango and Silverton steam railway in Colorado, who represents the Polar Express brand in the UK. We meet artist Rebecca Kitchin, who brings Christmas to several railways, and VIP guests – a descendant of Robert Francis Fair...

Send us Fan Mail This episode takes us to Yorkshire at the invitation of the Ryedale Society of Model Engineers  to visit their mainline in miniature on a steam day in November 2023. The extensive dual gauge 7 1/4  and 5" gauge ground level layout has been built  by members, many of whom are rail professionals in their day job and  qualified drivers and fireman on a number of heritage lines ....

Send us Fan Mail In this episode we look at engines built for service overseas that are now running or will run, on railways in the UK. We ask why travel around the world to find a loco to restore when there's no shortage in the UK? We hear from enthusiasts behind the restoration projects of engines which have journeyed to the UK  from China and India - The Darjeeling tank engine 19B and the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of  Making Tracks Railway Podcast we look at the new 'James Spooner' Double Fairlie Loco built at Boston Lodge and now in service on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway . We also look at another Railway investment, this time on the mainline and the £30M refurbishment of the iconic  Barmouth Viaduct. You can view the animation of Barmouth metallic vi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Making Tracks, we visit the Sibiu Agnita Railway in Romania for a steam gala event, known as ‘Mocanita Days’ and hear from local and UK volunteers, taking part who have been working to restore the line since it was abandoned by the state operator over twenty years ago. The weekend saw the first publicly hauled trains by a visiting British built locomotive, Manni...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode Alasdair visits Bala Lake Railway and chat to Julian Birley BEM, chair of Bala Lake Railway Trust to discuss the challenges they are working to overcome in their bid to extend the narrow gauge line from its current terminus to a new station site closer to Bala town centre. Volunteer Dinah Delchambre also speaks about organising fundraising activities for the Bala L...

Send us Fan Mail In this  first episode Alasdair talks to two experienced volunteers and  looks at the challenges and positives that come with having volunteers involved in a large scale high value Heritage Rail infrastructure project.  Alasdair heads to the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railway to reminisce with former volunteer colleagues Stuart McNair and John Sreeves. #railwayvolunteers #narro...