Discover how The Gunpowder Railway is evolving each week – from restoration milestones to new visitor experiences. Follow our journey as we restore, expand and enhance the railway.
Or: View All News and Diary Entries | A Summary of 2025
Saturday 31st October 2026
Roof installation begins, Wickham training plus Tinkabell’s repaint continues
Good conditions on site for late autumn, with mild temperatures, some afternoon sunshine, no rain and, most importantly, no wind. Although the workforce was slightly reduced, there were sufficient volunteers present to make good progress…
Wednesday 28th October 2026
Bonus passenger trains, Wickham’s first track inspection and roof finished
Overcast and damp on site today, although it did not actually rain, and it warmed up a little after lunch. A core team was on site with an important task to perform. It was the…
Saturday 24th October 2026
Hunslet 9080’s first train in 22 years plus other excitement
A larger team was on site today and, had the weather been better, a start would have been made on the roof of Shed 83D. Unfortunately, the wind and rain had other ideas, particularly after…
Wednesday 21st October 2026
2 hunslets move again, a tent goes up and a Ruston departs
It was a long and wet day on site, with rain falling pretty well all the time and only stopping about half an hour before we went home. It was a small team on site…
Saturday 17th October 2026
End of season BBQ; Wickham is complete, Wagon and Hunslet progresses and shelter begins.
It was a fairly sunny but colder day on site, with a cool breeze providing perhaps the first real hint that winter is approaching. With a good team of volunteers present, a wide range of…
Wednesday 14th October 2026
Hunslet 15 – coming back to life plus wagon progress
It was quite a nice day on site, with a good amount of sunshine and temperatures warming up nicely as the morning progressed. Once again the Wednesday team was slightly smaller than normal, so we…
Saturday 10th October 2026
Wickham Trolley back on the rails and out on the line plus the roof fights back
It was a cool day on site, with a fresh breeze and occasional sunny spells, but most importantly it remained dry throughout. Attendance was reduced due to various commitments and the seasonal cold bug, so…
Wednesday 7th October 2026
50 shades of yellow and Wickham gets its lights
It was a thoroughly wet day on site, with rain falling steadily from arrival until home time. While the ground certainly needed it, having it all arrive at once seemed a little excessive. With only…
Saturday 3rd October 2026
Further painting, further brake assembly and B10’s roof begins!
It was a cooler day on site, with little sunshine but thankfully no rain until after work had finished. Despite the less-than-summery weather, good progress was made across several projects as the busy spring and…
Wednesday 30th September 2026
Winter preparation and the Hunslet brakes reassembled on the 3rd attempt
It was a rather strange day on site, beginning under overcast skies with warm, sticky conditions and a couple of rain showers shortly after arrival. Although the usual Wednesday team was slightly depleted, plenty of…
Saturday 26th September 2026
Wickham gets its stripes, dough gets a buffer and Ruston tinkabell gets a clean
It was a slightly cooler day on site, but conditions remained pleasant with plenty of sunshine and dry weather throughout. As it was a Mill Open Day, passenger services once again formed an important part…
Wednesday 23rd September 2026
Emergency train, more painting and restoration efforts.
It was a warm day on site, beginning with a little cloud cover before the sun eventually broke through, making for a hot afternoon after lunch. Due to the failure and sadly absence of the…
Saturday 19th September 2026
Gate installed, hydraulic leak fixed, track set out and yet more painting of the Wickham.
The day began under overcast skies, with conditions becoming noticeably warmer and more humid as the afternoon went on. A slightly larger group of volunteers was on site, allowing a variety of maintenance tasks and…
Wednesday 16th September 2026
Hunslet 15 goes for a ride then up in the air and the workshop mop is finally fixed.
Most of the regular volunteers were present today, and the team was joined by a new volunteer, a qualified toolmaker, who was welcomed in the traditional railway fashion. The day began with a quick inspection…
Saturday 12th September 2026
Running trains, wagon stock rearranging and restorations continue
It started off cool today, but it became surprisingly warm and a little humid as the day progressed. A select group of five volunteers was on site for the day. As it was an open…