Making Tracks Railway Podcast
Engineer Alasdair Stewart, Sharon Gregory and producer Laura Raymond meet experts and enthusiasts to talk trains, technology and infrastructure at historic, minor and quirky railways from around the world...
The ‘Making Tracks’ podcast is a blatant excuse for railway enthusiast Alasdair to spend more time talking to other track and infrastructure experts and take a deep dive into Heritage Railway projects world-wide.
From Civil Engineering Manager for the Welsh Highland Railway reconstruction, completing the final twelve mile phase from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog, to bridge construction on HS2, a theme park railway in South Korea and Mail Rail in London, Alasdair Stewart has built a reputation on having much more than a one track mind!
Sharon Gregory presents 'Railway Ride-outs' - visiting Heritage Lines by Harley - with lots of tips for the Biker Rail Enthusiast.
Produced by Journalist Laura Raymond
Episodes
25 episodes
A Campaign to Re-imagine a Victorian Railway Tunnel in Yorkshire, Steam Monorail Magic and Young Railway Enthusiasts Report on Collection X & Railway 200's 'Inspiration' Train plus a mainline renewal in Sussex
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 prea...
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1:06:12
A tale of two railway museums: Utrecht and York, the East Lancashire Railway Gala, English narrow gauge in Kent and a Dutch preserved line.
In this episode we’ll be visiting two national railway museums, in Utrecht and York, a gala event at the East Lancashire railway, and riding on standard and narrow gauge heritage lines, the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, ru...
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1:05:38
Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, Hastings Diesels, 'Railway Children' performed at Keighley & Worth Valley, and Young Railway Enthusiast wins footplate experience at Rudyard Lake.
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 borde...
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58:30
Railway 200; 'Greatest Gathering', Sharon's Railway Rideouts to the Glyn Valley Tramway and TV Newsreader Nicholas Owen's Railway Enthusiasm.
In this episode of Making Tracks we’ll take you behind the scenes of the 'Greatest Gathering' in Derby, England for a prestigious piece of the UK's Railway 200 celebrations. Engineer Alasdair Stewart meets some of those who made it happen, and ...
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1:05:31
A Children's Railway In Ukraine, A UK Loco In Transylvania, NERHT, FEDECRAIL & UK Parliamentarians Lobby for Heritage Rail's Future plus Sharon Gregory visits a Garden Viaduct
Welcome aboard this episode of MAKING TRACKS RAILWAY PODCAST with Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory – no tickets are required to travel with us and there is no fare to pay!In this episode we’ll be hearing from a teacher at one of Ukrai...
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1:01:11
Childhood Memories from a Welsh Station House, Blackpool & Seaton Trams and Telford Steam Railway, plus Ffestiniog 70 years of Preservation
In this episode of Making Tracks with Alasdair Stewart, we hear cherished memories of growing up at a remote station house in rural north Wales from Lynette Tucker... daughter of John Harrison—fondly known as 'Lord North'. His great uncle...
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1:04:31
Heritage Railways Improve Visitor Appeal in North Wales and Sharon Gregory's Holiday Rideouts
In this Episode of Making Tracks, engineer and podcaster Alasdair Stewart learns about modern methods of marketing heritage railways with the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways' Osian Hughes. Helen Leslie explains how a museum is a fu...
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50:04
Hastings Railway History, Kent & East Sussex Line Celebrations & Llanberis Lake Railway
In this episode of Making Tracks Podcast I visit some of England's most charming, bucolic countryside to join in celebrations at the Kent and East Sussex Railway, as they mark 25 years since Bodiam station was reopened.The 'Railway...
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56:37
Anglesey Line Revival, Talyllyn's Job Share GMs, Lithuanian Narrow Gauge & Bluebell Railway Volunteer's Heartfelt Fundraiser
In this episode our travels to uncover Railway stories take us to Anglesey to meet Walter Glynn Davis, the 81 year old chair of Lein Amlwch – Anglesey Central Railway Ltd, a group who are working to bring the Amlwch to Gerwen line back into ser...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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1:01:44
Pioneering Electric Railways: A Look at Liverpool's Overhead Railway & Brighton's Volk's Electric Railway
Two cities and two very different electric railway stories: one still thriving with its original Victorian vintage vehicles and the other, a fading memory, with just a few tangible remains left around the city.I go to Brighton beach to v...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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56:01
#Railway200 Celebrations Underway and the Corris Railway Extension
Welcome to the first episode of making tracks of 2025 the start of a special year in the Railway calendar – Railway 200Railway 200 is a cross sector, government backed, partner led campaign to celebrate Two centuries since the star...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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57:44
Railway Modelling: Experts, Exhibitions and Enthusiasts! Featuring Pete Waterman
The UK winter is a good time for indoor hobbies, and like many others, my thoughts are turning to the model railway kits I have stockpiled but haven't got around to making! Instead of getting on with the job, I went to the National Exh...
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1:09:11
Out of Africa: 'Kalahari' NG15- 134 Back in Steam & Memories of Uganda , Sharon's Railway Ride-outs in Wales
This episode focusses on engines from Africa. The first returned to steam after 20 years of restoration work and fundraising from dedicated volunteers – the NG 15 134. Alasdair talks to volunteer project leader Adrian Strachan and some of t...
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49:47
Advanvced Passenger Train & Crewe Heritage Centre, Avanti's Present Day Crewe & Railways by Bike
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...
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56:24
Mail Rail:London's Underground Narrow Gauge, Biker Railway Ride-outs, Ffestiniog Gravity Train & Darjeeling Himalayan locomotive 19B
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 wa...
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50:46
Rother Valley Railway:Missing Link Restoration Underway & Tours of Boston Lodge, steam engine driving experience courses as Ffestiniog Railway Society Marks 70 Year Anniversary
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 Ffestin...
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1:05:23
Sussex: The Lavender Line, Rother Valley Update & Stephen Cranford, Tracing the Steyning Line Rails
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 Valle...
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47:15
Amberley Museum Narrow Gauge Visit & Volunteering Excellence
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 r...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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48:40
End of year roundup: Santa Trains, a descendant of Robert Fairlie, Updates From Sibiu Agnita Railway & 19B
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 b...
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45:11
Ryedale's 5" gauge mainline in miniature & 'Oil firing' on the North Yorkshire Moors railway; A Sustainable Way Ahead For Heritage Railways?
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&nbs...
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29:28
Overseas Locos: Enthusiasts Going The Extra Mile For Railway History. Wales, India, China & South Africa...
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 ...
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46:03
New Ffestiniog Fairlie 'James Spooner' and Network Rail's Barmouth Viaduct - Iconic Victorian Railway Engineering Re-imagined For The 21st Century
Episode 4 of Making Tracks looks at the new 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 refurb...
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25:49
Sibiu Agnita Railway - Brits bitten by the volunteering bug travel to Transylvania to help narrow gauge revival
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 ...
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39:17
Bala and Llangollen railways: The contemporary planning challenges for Heritage Railway extensions.
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...
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37:49
Making Heritage Railway Tracks With Volunteer Civil Engineering Professionals on the Ffestiniog Railway
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. Alasda...
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21:56