Railway Mania

In this episode of KINGS OF THE STEAM AGE, we welcome back historian and author Anthony Dawson to explore the life and legacy of Richard Peacock, co-founder of Beyer, Peacock and Company. From his beginnings in Swaledale to becoming a leading figure in locomotive engineering, all the way through to being a 'bloody good bloke'. Join us as we delve into his dual legacy as an engineer and a progr...

Mental health issues can affect anyone in the world and rail workers are no exception. In this episode, we welcome Paul Stanford, railwayperson of 40 years and founder of HEAD-SHUNT, the mental health charity for the railway family. Paul tells us not only about the challenges to mental health that come from working on the railway, but also the attitudes in the industry, how the scene is changin...

Welcome to a new mini-series on the Railway Mania channel, where we are giving guests the challenge of putting forward their candidate for KING OF THE STEAM AGE. First up is friend of the show, Graham Muspratt, making the case for Oliver Vaughan Snell Bulleid. Thanks to Graham for coming on the podcast again!

The Titfield Thunderbolt is one of my favourite films and I’m so chuffed to have been able to work on the recent train pack we made at work in conjunction with StudioCanal and the 70th anniversary of the film. Ever since I first saw it, I’ve always wondered how I would go about remaking the film in the modern era.

Our guest is author David Grimshaw, talking about articulated locomotives, but not the sort that immediately come to mind. These machines were built in America long before Fairlie or Meyer's creations. Horatio Allen's articulated locomotives were built in the 1830s for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company, at the time the longest railway in the world! Thanks to David for joining us on...

Today’s podcast guest is Lawrie Rose, creator and star of popular YouTube channel Lawrie’s Mechanical Marvels. We’re talking about what it’s like to realise every railway enthusiast’s dream: having your very own locomotive. Lawrie explains the the circumstances that led to the purchase, how he went about it, and shares his experience and advice for anyone wishing to try the same. Thanks so much...

100 years ago, a luxury express sleeper train was en route to Peking, travelling through dangerous territory. In the middle of the night, the train is deliberately derailed and the passengers are kidnapped. The hostages include a journalist, the wealthy daughter of an a Rhode Island Senator, a French businessman, a gangster and a US Army Major. The kidnappers are a made up of several bandit fac...

Nick joins us again for the second half of this double-bill about collieries and coal railways of North East England. Nick goes into detail on 3 distinct railway systems; The Bowes, Lambton and Harton lines. Thanks again to Nick for being an excellent guest!

The birthplace of the railway is often said to the be coalfields of North-East England. We are joined by Nick Richardson in this first half of a two-part episode. Nick sets the scene as we discuss the landscape, the technology, and the people of the coal mining communities. If you're interested in learning Geordie, here is a handy affiliate link: https://amzn.to/3wBNUTv

To celebrate 10 years of 'Steam Locos in Profile', Chris Eden-Green embarked on a mammoth mission across America, to publish 10 new episodes all about American steam locomotives. Chris joins us on the podcast to discuss the (literal) highs and lows, the logistics of such a feat, and the steam scene in the USA. Purchase your copy of the USA special edition of 'Steam Locos in Profile' here: https...

Joining us today is Dan Fox of the Signals to Danger podcast, which takes an in-depth look into the history of rail crashes in Britain. Dan talks us through the genesis of the show, key developments and learnings in British railway safety and how changing practices and technologies have affected it. We also answer some questions sent in by listeners! Thanks to Dan for taking the time to come o...

The summer of 2022 has seen the return of the #LoveYourRailway campaign to social media. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway's Marketing Manager Luke Hudman joins us today to tell us the idea behind the campaign, why we should love our railway, and how to get involved. 'Love Your Railway’ brings together over 80 organisations from as far afield as Scotland, Snowdonia, Leighton Buzzard, and the L...

Composer, musician and singer Cheryl B. Engelhardt may be the first person to have created an entire album start-to-finish whilst on a transcontinental railway trip. Travelling from her home in New York to Los Angeles and back, Cheryl used this time to create ‘The Passenger’, a new-age album reflecting her personal experiences. This episode, we welcome Cheryl onto the show to discuss how the id...

We are joined by none other than Jonathan Guilbert, whose YouTube channel ‘Gandy Dancer Productions’ has been an incredible source of inspiration for me and many others over the years. Jonathan has digitised and edited his colour 8mm and 16mm films, taken during the final years of British steam railways, and used his filmmaking knowledge and experience to make interesting narratives that provid...

In episode 24 of the Railway Mania podcast we welcome Matt, Will and Nathan from the 563 locomotive group to talk about a special loco that's spent a good deal of time treading the boards starring in 'The Railway Children' stage play and is soon to be restored to working order on the Swanage Railway. We talk about the loco's history, how it escaped the cutter's torch, its life at the NRM and th...

'Steam Locomotives in Profile' is back in 2021, in the form of a feature length special focusing on IMLEC, The 2021 International Model Locomotive Efficiency Competition. Model engineers from around the country came together to test the mettle of their creations in a head-to-head 3-day competition.   Chris Eden-Green returns to the podcast to tell us about it.  Check out the IMLEC special here...

Welcome to this special episode of Railway Mania. Our guest is the author of numerous books on trains and railways and whose latest publication 'All Aboard!' is now on sale, it's Julian Holland! We talk about the huge variety of railway-related topics covered in the book, and Julian's own experiences of trainspotting during the 1950s and 1960s. Thanks so much to Julian for coming on the podcast...

Ben Powell and Rob Rossington of The 009 Society join us for another look at narrow gauge modelling. They tell us about what the society can offer and the scope of what it covers (not limited to just 009 but 1:76 narrow gauge modelling in general). We also look at how the modelling scene is changing for narrow gauge as more and more manufacturers offer ready-to-run examples. Check out The 009 S...

The Big Smoke is a city full of stories and our podcast guest for this episode is none other than Tom AKA Jago Hazzard, who has been making a hugely popular series of videos on London’s transport and history. ‘Tales from the Tube’ is a fascinating look at London’s Underground. We’re going to talk about where it began, how the stories come about and (of course) time travel. Thanks to Tom for b...

The birth of steam traction and the modern idea of the railway came at a time of great social change in Britain, when groups of religious dissenters were carving out their own niches in the world in order to prosper. Our guest for this episode is historian, author and all-round expert in early 19th Century railways Anthony Dawson. We shall be looking in to the circumstances of the people invol...

Spring is here and it's time to get some fresh air. Joining me on this podcast episode is Garden Rail's very own Phil Parker. We're going to go into the ways you can get started with playing trains in the garden, from flat pack kits to live steam Garratts and everything else in between. A HUGE thanks to Phil for coming on the podcast, remember to check out Garden Rail magazine if you are intere...

At the height of World War Two, the Southern Railway introduced its first pacific tender locos, the Merchant Navy Class. Bulleid was always seeking to push the envelope with locomotive development, and the 3-cylinder Merchant Navy was packed full of features and innovations to enable more power, different maintenance regimes, and to lessen the effect the locos had on the permanent way. The loco...

The ongoing global pandemic has seen the cancellation of nearly all model exhibitions across the country. To keep the spirit of the event season going, several 'virtual exhibitions' have been organised. This episode, I sit down with Andy York, Phil Parker, Debbie Wood and Howard Smith from the World of Railways team to talk about their upcoming second virtual exhibition, plus the highs and lows...

Thomas Cook ceased trading in 2019, 178 years after Mr. Cook organised his first excursion train. This podcast episode looks into the early years of excursion travel and the explosion in popularity of ‘cheap trips’ opening up a world of experiences for the working classes throughout the mid 19th Century. Who were these people, how did it come about, what was the experience like?  (Please note ...

Callum Willcox (SDJR7F88) and Adam Ashford (82A Studios) return as guests on the podcast. This time we are talking about railway channels on YouTube, Callum and Adam have both been in the game for many years and share their insights on how it came to be, and what the future holds.

Children are the future of modelling, and we as a community need to nurture their interest. How to help them move up a gear and go from playing trains to building their own models?  Maggie Gravett has been running children's modelling sessions for 21 years joins us to explain how it's done and why it's so important.  Thanks so much to Maggie for taking the time to come on the show! Please subsc...

Anorak Rating: 4/5    009, which features 1:76 scale models on 9mm gauge track, has undergone something of a boom in recent years. I sit down with 009 fans Daniel Thomas and Pat James to talk about their personal experiences, and how the fact 009 was not served in ready-to-run form until recently pushed them to build their own stock. Thanks to Pat and Daniel for coming on the show! Daniel's ins...

In Episode 11 of RAILWAY MANIA we sit down with Chris Eden-Green, creator and presenter of long-running series Steam Locos In Profile, and chat about how Chris came up with the show, the production process, views on preservation and volunteering, as well as producing online railway video in general. Many thanks to Chris for being on RAILWAY MANIA! Visit Chris’s YouTube Channel to see Steam Loco...

Garratts were one of the most successful articulated locomotive types worldwide. In this episode, we briefly cover the history of Herbert W. Garratt's brainchild, followed by a chat with Huw Jones of the Welsh Highland Railway, who works full time keeping the NGG16s in traffic. Huw tells us about the idiosyncrasies of the Garratt design, and what makes them different to a regular loco. Anorak R...

Season 2 of Channel 5's Great Model Railway Challenge has drawn to a close. The show has been divisive amongst enthusiasts, but what is it like to be part of such a programme and what do the contestants think of it? I sat down with Callum Willcox and Adam Ashford of The Railway Video Division, runners-up in Season 1, to find out.   Anorak Rating: 2/5 

Expert modeller Gordon Gravett joins us in this episode of Railway Mania as we discuss scenery on model railways, how to construct a scene, good methods and tips, what to do when a project goes wrong, among many other topics...   Anorak Rating: 4/5 

Steam railways are often run by armies of volunteers, but some people can be paid for it! Today we're talking to Will Stratford, who has been working on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways (often branded as 'best railway in the world') on his day-to-day experiences.   Anorak Rating: 2/5    RAILWAY MANIA is a podcast covering everything to do with trains and railways. Each episode, Corwin...

In 2017, 60163 Tornado made history by being the first steam locomotive to officially hit 100mph in the UK since 1967. Huw Parker of the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust tells how this came about, what it was like on the night, and what's been going on since the speed run.   Anorak Rating: 2/5    RAILWAY MANIA is a podcast covering everything to do with trains and railways. Each episode, Corwin takes ...

Every story from history has its 'goodies' and 'baddies', but how much of our perception of these events is influenced by the storytellers? Today I'm joined by Simon A.C. Martin, who is working on a book about the engineer Edward Thompson, who took over from Sir Nigel Gresley as Chief Mechanical Engineer on the London and North Eastern Railway at the height of World War Two. Thompson has often ...

WAR. Conflict is at the heart of this episode, which focuses on the US Army Transportation Corps and the War Department's railways during the build up to the invasion of Normandy in 1944, and the challenge of how to land hundreds of trains in hostile territory, ready to roll.   Anorak Rating: 4/5    RAILWAY MANIA is a podcast covering everything to do with trains and railways. Each episode, Cor...

Episode 3 of Railway Mania features an interview with Pat James, who came in to the hobby as an adult without having had a model railway as a child. The second half focuses on the challenge of coming out to your friends and family as a railway enthusiast, and why some people find it hard to do so.   Anorak Rating: 2/5    RAILWAY MANIA is a podcast covering everything to do with trains and railw...

In this episode, we get technical as we look at two different designs of articulated locomotives, the Meyer and the Fairlie. Why do we need them? What happens when you bend an engine? Why don't we see many of them? Listen in for the answers!   Anorak Rating: 4/5  NOTES: A small clarification is needed; Decauville subcontracted the building of the first Péchot-Bourdon locos out due to their comp...

RAILWAY MANIA is a podcast covering everything to do with trains and railways. Each episode, Corwin takes you on a bite-sized journey through many topics and tales of the Iron Road, including everything railway modelling to railway history, interviews with fellow enthusiasts and experts. Pop the kettle on and let's talk about trains! Anorak Rating: 1/5  Episode 1 focuses on the real ‘Railway Ma...