Making Tracks Railway Podcast

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In this episode we meet Railwaymen and Women from Germany and France, that work at two contrasting iconic European metre gauge railways, 'twinned' with UK heritage lines.

'Dampflok' is the common language in the regular Harzer Schmalspurbahnen  / Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Exchange established in 2003. Alasdair Stewart joins the group in north Wales on their familiarisation train and chats to the visiting staff and organiser and originator of the exchange Driver John Bell.  

Alasdair also joins a trip from the Kent & East Sussex Railway in the south east of England over to their twin railway line in France: The Baie de Somme Railway in Saint-Valery-sur-Somme. 

Sharon Gregory gives us an insight into one of her favourite pastimes combining biking and spotting her favourite locos in the stunning Welsh countryside.

Links to railways and organisations mentioned in this episode:

Baie de Somme railway

Harz Narrow Gauage Railway   Tourist information

Harzer Schmalspurbahnen Brochure

French Railways Society 

Infos Utiles - P'tit train de la Haute Somme - 600mm French line celebrating fifty years of heritage operation in 2026. 

Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme - Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme - the main french railway in the piece

Accueil - La Suzanne - Le train touristique de la Voie Sacrée à Bar-le-Duc - 'Suzzane'

Kent and East Sussex Railway 

Ffestiniong and Welsh Highland Railways

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

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In this episode find out how a conversation with a Kent poet Nick Russell and his poem ' Connections'  led to taking a look at a well established campaign to bring Euro trains back to Kent after Eurostar ceased serving  Ashford International during Covid. Alasdair Stewart speaks to Bring Back Euro Trains campaign spokesperson Diccon Spain and we include a statement from Eurostar. 

Sharon Gregory takes two Railway Rideouts on her Harley to Borth in mid Wales to a rare museum open day and discovers the south Wales line: Pontypool and Blaenavon.

There's an impromtu report from Radio Presenter Alex Baker as he happens upon the The  34028 Eddystone loco at Victoria Station.

We get an update on how a model railway show went which was organised by probably one of the youngest railway enthusiasts to do so!

And producer Laura Raymond visits the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway's museum and talks to young volunteers on a sunny Easter Saturday.

Links to Railways and organisations mentioned in this episode:

Campaign group Bring Back Euro Trains.

Eurostar's statement:

“Eurostar has no plans to resume stops at Ashford International and Ebbsfleet International. Demand at these stations has historically been very limited, with the vast majority of UK passengers travelling via St Pancras International. In 2019, Ashford and Ebbsfleet accounted for just 4% of our total passengers. Even at peak times, Ashford saw an average of only 50 passengers per 900-seat train. Over the decade to 2019, St Pancras traffic grew by 20%, while Ashford and Ebbsfleet saw no growth. 

Eurostar remains focused on offering city centre to city centre services, to reach our 30 million passenger goal. Any reopening would require significant additional investment in border infrastructure, particularly as new EU border systems are introduced.”

Virgin Trains statement on plans to run a service through the Channel Tunnel

**

Poem featured by Nick Russell of the Rye Harbour Writers from a book called The Station Poems. Poems at stations courtesy of the South East Community Rail Partnership.

The Southern Locomotives 34010 Eddystone Locomotive Railtours

Welsh Highland Heritage Railway

Borth Railway Museum

Blaenavon's Heritage Railway

#poetry #Blaenavon #narrowgauge #modelrailways #WHHR #Bringbackeurotrainstokent  #Eddystone

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is very much one of Rockstars and their Model Railways as Alasdair Stewart attends the official launch of the Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre in Kent. The new centre is supported by Patron Jools Holland, well know for their modelling nearly as much as their music, Roger Daltry and Peter Waterman.

Sharon Gregory gets her Harley out for the proper first Railway Ride-out of the season to the Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway.  Producer Laura Raymond find just some of the railway highlights on a holiday to the Lombardie region of Italy visiting the Brunate Furnicular, the Rail Collection at the Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology and takes a ride on the 1928 #Ventotto trams in Milan.

Alasdair get the lowdown on the new take on teaching Rail Safety from Network Rail's Safey Manager, Kent: Nicola Dooris with an engaging model layout. He also gets a chance to visit the wonderfully successful Railway 200 Inspiration Train as it visits Hastings at one of its last few stops of its  extended tour of the UK.

Links to the Railways and Organisations mentioned in this episode:

Ashford International Model Railway Education Centre, Kent

Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway

Network Rail's Rail Safety Manager for Kent, Nicola Dooris can be contacted on her email [email protected]  if you would like to find out more about the learning rescources available for schools or visit the layout in Margate, Kent. 

Leonardo da Vinci National Museum of Science and Technology

Brunate Furnicular, Como

Railway 200

New dates for the Inspiration Train

Follow us on Facebook for photos of the places and people we meet making these episodes.

Thanks for listening!
#VentottoTrams #GloucestershireandWarwickshireRailway #Milan #AIMREC #NetworkRail  #AlasdairStewart #SharonGregory #joolsholland #Rogerdaltry #Petewaterman

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

It is a full house this episode we have all been out visiting railways across the UK. Alasdair  goes  to East Kent Railway – a Colonel Stephens Line ..if you are not familiar with that name...he was an engineer who built and managed his own empire of branch lines up and down the UK around the early part of the last century. Alasdair chats to Chris Jackson from the Colonel Stephens Society to set the scene before setting off to Kent

Sharon has been considering her favourite railway books as we mark World Book Day in the week we publish.

Young reporter George Woodward visits the Peak Rail at half term and Paddy Range has been out on a diesel hunt,  this time to the Severn Valley Railway and producer Laura Raymond popped along to chat to volunteers at Llangollen Railway on the first day of their season and a meets a very special volunteer who will soon be having tea with the King!

Links Below to the Railways and organisations in this episode.

Colonel Stephens Society

The Colonel Stephens Railway Museum - Kent & East Sussex Railway

East Kent Railway Trust

World Book Day

Llangollen Railway

Betteshanger Country Park

Peak Rail

Severn Valley Railway

#SharonGregory #Paddyrange #Alasdair Stewart #Laura Raymond #WorldBookDay

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

We visit the UK's only public rack and pinion line, Snowdon Mountain Railway which is also the highest railway route, going to the Summit station from the foot of Snowdon – or Y Wyddfa its official name in the Welsh language.

Sharon heads to England on her Harley on a 'Railway Rideout' to explore a tranquil corner of the birthplace of the industrial revolution, IronBridge Gorge Museum in Telford.

Paddy Range goes to Kent, for a ride on the Spa Valley railway behind a Class 33 from Tonbridge Wells….

Alasdair catches one of the new Chiltern Railways Explorer trains, offering greener services every 30 minutes between the West Midlands and London on weekdays.

And we catch up with a friend of the podcast Bluebell Railways' Permanent Way volunteer John Deane, now in his eighties, who for the second year running will be walking the ballast for the full length of the line raising money for a charity close to his heart.

We also meet heritage volunteer and fomer mainline staff, Clive Wallace with some turntable advice!

Links below to stories and Railways in this episode:

Snowdon Mountain Railway

Chiltern Explorers

Ironbridge Gorge Museum under ownership of National Trust

Spa Valley Railway

Ironbridge Kinlet Engine

John Deane's fundraiser for Heart  Valve Voice UK

Bluebell Railway

Rother Valley Railway - blog - turntable

#SnowdonMountainRailway #Spavalley #IronbridgeGorgemuseum #ChilternRailways #paddyrange #Sharongregory #alasdairstewart #railwaypodcast #railways #railenthusiast #diesels #DMUs #volunteering #Bluebellrailway

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

We've revamped for 2026 with new branding, featuring presenters Sharon Gregory and Alasdair Stewart marking our 4th year of chatting about Railways.

In this episode Alasdair meets a couple of UK Railway volunteers Dan Holbrook & Caleb Lovegrove, They, and a group of friends and colleagues have recently been on what we could refer to in the UK as a bus man's holiday, taking a tour of railways in India. 

Sharon travels to Oswestry this time to catch the steam train on the Cambrian Heritage Railway.

Alasdair calls in at a Locomotive  Club of Great Britain Meeting and we hear about a delightful Dapol model launched to celebrate #WorldBookDay.

#CambrianHeritageRailway #Darjeeling #railwaymodelling #Dapol #Oswestry

#railwayenthusiast #railwayhistory #Railways #trains

Here are links to the Railways and Organisations mentioned in this episode:

The Cambrian Heritage Railway

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 

Nilgiri Mountain Railway (Wikipedia link)

The Dapol Model Railway Company  including links to the World Book Day fundraising wagons.

Browsers Book Shop,  Porthmadog Facebook Page

World Book Day Charity

The Locomotive Club of Great Britain

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode, Mr Hornby himself, Simon Kohler chats to Alasdair about his new book 'My life at Hornby' and his career at the model manufacturer.

Alasdair travel to Manchester to visit an exhibition put on by one of the most senior railway modelling societies in the world and young rail enthusiast Cynan Hughes reports from a grassroots model railway club exhibition in north Wales,

Sharon Gregory leaves her bike in the garage and a very looong day trip, to Scotland . And I catch up with one of the footplate crew of Locomotion number one, to hear his reflections on the 200th anniversary celebration runs on the Stockton & Darlington railway. 

And his hats off to a Southern Railway train driver Matthew Staniforth who tells us how he spreads Christmas cheer to passengers!

#railwayenthusiast #railwayhistory #Railways #trains #simonkohler #Horby #Southernrail 

Links to the Railways mentioned in this episode:

Simon Kohler 'My Hornby Life'

Manchester Model Railway Show

Colwyn Model Railway Club in Abergele, north Wales.

Southern Rail 'X'  post about Driver Matthew Staniforth who wears his Christmas hat to spread cheer at what can be a difficult time for many.

Carnog Working Horses / Ceffylau Gwaith Carnog – specialist land management using horsepower

Locomotion Number 1

The Grand Finale of the Awdry Extravaganza in summer 2025 at the Talyllyn Railway.

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

Welcome to this episode of Making Tracks Podcast with  Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

In many episodes you will have heard us welcoming opportunities for young railway enthusiasts...so we thought we should practice what we preach and in this episode we welcome  two  teenage guest presenters. Rail enthusiasts , George Woodward and Cynan Hughes, accompanied of course by their parents and with all permissions given, went out to report for Making Tracks Railway Podcast

George reviews collections X and the Making Tracks layout at the Vale of Rheidol in Mid Wales and Cynan goes on board 'Inspiration' – the Railway 200 train as it stops off in North Wales

Sharon has been out in the border lands of England and Wales again on her Railway Rideouts, I hear about an ambitious community led scheme in Yorkshire to rehabilitate the currently disused Queensbury railway tunnel . I talk to Graham Bickerdike from the Queensbury Tunnel Society.

And Alasdair  hears from some of those involved in a recent blockade of the London Hastings line about a part of the successful renewal scheme carried out by Network Rail in autumn 2025.

Links below to the Railways mentioned in this episode:

More dates announced for Railway 200 Inspiration Train in the UK as it becomes a runaway success! 

Queensbury Tunnel Society 

National Highways Queensbury Tunnel Information.

National Highways statement below in response to our interview aired on this podcast with the Queensbury Tunnel Society.

"We didn’t receive any money for the feasibility study.We are not infilling or demolishing the tunnel. We will be filling the open shafts and providing support under the shafts, but there’s an important difference between ‘filling in’ and ‘infilling’." The definition of the latter can be found here.

 "We are due to meet with planners from the local authority in the coming months."

Tanat Valley Railway

Vale of Rhiedol Collection X

Pete Waterman's Making Tracks Model Railway Layout visits Vale of Rheidol

Hastings - Bexhill Network Rail Upgrade 

Home - Schweerbau - State of the art hybrid / battery electric railway maintenance and inspection trains 

#ValeofRheidol #Railway200 #Inspiration #Monorail #TanatValley #railwayenthusiast #railwayhistory #Railways #trains

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode we’ll be visiting two national railway museums, Alasdair travels to  Utrecht in Holland and  visits  the STAR museum railway  and along the way, discovering a replica broad gauge pioneer, running on rails 1945mm apart...and Sharon takes a Railway Rideout to the National Railway Museum in  York, UK. A gala event at the East Lancashire railway, and riding on standard and narrow gauge heritage lines, the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway the preserved southern half of the former Paper Mill-  Bowater’s Railway built to move the raw materials for paper making and the finished products. It is run entirely by volunteers in Kent. 

#Utrech #York #NRM #SittingbourneandKemsleylightrailway #railwayvolunteers #railwaypodcast #railwayhistory #railwayenthusiast #trains #STARNetherlands

Links to all the railways and museums below:

Home Page - The East Lancashire Railway

Home of 80097 BR 4MT Restoration and Ivatt 46428 - Bury Standard 4 Group

The Class 56 Group – Class 56 Locomotive Preservation

National Railway Museum - York

Eurostar.com: Book Europe train tickets and holidays

Kom naar het Spoorwegmuseum | Het leukste station van Nederland - Dutch National Railway Museum in Utrecht, Netherlands

Home - Museumspoorlijn STAR - STAR Museum Railway, Stadskanaal, Netherlands

Sittingbourne and Kemsley Railway 

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Making Tracks with Alasdair Stewart, Sharon Gregory and Laura Raymond, we’ll be visiting Welshpool and Llanfair Railway a rural, narrow gauge light railway, built to develop the economy of a marginal hinterland in Welsh border country, hear from  competition winner George Woodward, who at 14 years old, got to try his hand on the regulator of a steam locomotive for the first time. George won a driver experience in a Facebook competition run by the Rudyard Lake Railway.

 Sharon Gregory is riding the rails in Yorkshire and taking in a theatrical spectacle, and I talk to one of the team for responsible for maintaining preserved multiple units, at Hastings Diesels, that occasionally tours the national railway network from its depot on the south coast…..

#WelshpoolandLLanfair #narrowgauge #KVR #Yorkshire #Hastings #Diesels #railwaypodcasters #railwayhistory #railways

Links to the Railways and events mentioned in this episode:

Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway

Sierra Leone National Railway Museum

Bishops Castle Railway - bcrailway.co.uk

The current run of the Railway Children at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway has sold out  ( finished on Sept 7th 25 ) click here for link to the promo video for the event.

Rudyard Lake Railway Driver Experience Course ( the course included in our podcast had been won as a prize by our young person interviewed with no commercial link to this podcast) 

Hastings Diesels Ltd 

This podcast is produced by Laura Raymond and presented by Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory.

Radio Presenter and Diesel Fan Paddy Range regularly guests. Young Rail Enthusiasts George Woodward and Cynan Hughes (plus parents!) report back from interesting railways and events.

 Our 'Making Tracks' music is with kind permission of composer and musician Richard Durrant. It is a unique piece inspired by the rhythm of the historic rolling stock on the Ffestiniog Railway on the scenic journey from Harbour Station to Tan y Blwch. 

You can listen and download the full 'Tan y Bwlch' Ukulele Quartet here:

 Thank you to voice artist David King - for the Railway Ride outs voice over. 

Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch"

  Ukulele Quartet No. 1 "Tan y Bwlch" Richard Durrant · Single · 2019 · 3  songs.