Steam Days

Steam Days is a monthly magazine dedicated to all steam railway enthusiasts. Each issue covers the six regions of British Railways: Western, Southern, London, Midland, Eastern, and Scottish, with the occasional article on Irish railways and the industrial scene. These well illustrated articles in the magazine cover the history of the railways of Britain from the early days of the 1800s through to the end of steam on British Railways in August 1968.

Steam Days

TRAINS of thought

Troubled sleep in south-west Scotland • Three incidents across 20 miles of the Nith Valley main line provide the backdrop as David Cross highlights some sleepless mornings with the route’s nocturnal passenger operations in the early to mid-1960s.

Christchurch stations • First reached by train in November 1862,gaining three railways and losing its first 90 years ago this September, Stephen Roberts tracks the options for catching a train at Christchurch.

STEAM DAYS In Colour 234: Across Stamford by rail – a three counties journey • Setting out from Essendine, Rutland, on the East Coast main line, we traverse the former Great Northern Railway branch line to the Lincolnshire town of Stamford, at its East terminus, before crossing to the ex-Midland Railway route through Stamford (Town) and continuing west.Very briefly traversing Northamptonshire, we conclude our travels of just 7½ miles at the next station, Ketton & Collyweston, and in doing so find ourselves back in Rutland.

WELCOME ABROAD THE BIGGEST RAILWAY COMMUNITY STEAM DAYS

The name’s the same: Hurricane • Spanning the years 1838 to 2025 and encompassing three different gauges and six-wheel arrangements, Andrew Wilson looks at eight steam locomotives that carried the name Hurricane, the choice directly inspired by the most powerful of winds and then indirectly perpetuated by a racehorse and the RAF Hawker Hurricane fighter aircraft.

Preservation pioneers: Dowty Railway Preservation Society • Born of an engineering company with railway activities and supportive of social activities for its staff, John H Bird delves into the story of the DRPS and its Ashchurch rail centre, from the early years of onsite operations to outings for main line locomotives.

Tail Lamp