Sunday 11th October 2026. A trip to Newcastle by rail was made today as a family to see what turned out to be an EXCELLENT live performance of Mrs Doubtfire at the Theatre Royal. It was another day for the railway at its best; all went very smoothly despite the unusual presence of Police atContinue reading “Helloooo, poppets! A trip to Toon to see Mrs Doubtfire & southern entrance to Central?”
Author Archives: hogg1905
Visit Cresswell by Islands.com
A great little article exploring charming Cresswell, situated between Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Alnmouth on the spectacular Northumberland Coast. Please click the link below to read it for yourself. https://www.islands.com/2278404/cresswell-united-kingdom-between-newcastle-upon-tyne-alnwick-coastal-village-award-winning-beach-historic-sites/ Of note to this campaign is the mention of poor rail access to this area of the coast, something that could be rectified by a better railContinue reading “Visit Cresswell by Islands.com”
Railnatter 322: Newcastle Central to Cramlington, and NO to 1500v DC to Ashington?
In the last few hours, Gareth Dennis has uploaded a short segment of his interesting Railnatter 322 about the ECML between Newcastle and Edinburgh, if you’d like to view the full episode, drop back to our previous blog post covering it here. The short segment from Newcastle Central Station to Cramlington can be viewed below.Continue reading “Railnatter 322: Newcastle Central to Cramlington, and NO to 1500v DC to Ashington?”
The Northumberland Coast Loop in ‘Railwatch’ No. 189 by Railfuture
In this months (October 2026) edition of ‘railwatch’, No. 189 by national campaign organisation Railfuture, the Northumberland Coast Loop campaign has got a short mention on Page 20 as part of the North East region compiled by Peter Walker. Thank you very much to Peter for including us in the North East news section, andContinue reading “The Northumberland Coast Loop in ‘Railwatch’ No. 189 by Railfuture”
ECML: Newcastle to Edinburgh on Railnatter No. 322
Coming on Wednesday 23rd September 2026 at 8pm is Episode 322 of the Railnatter series by rail engineer and author Gareth Dennis, and the topic of the night is the East Coast Main Line (ECML) between Newcastle and Edinburgh; with the episode title of ‘Why This Beautiful Mainline Is A Mess’ Please click on theContinue reading “ECML: Newcastle to Edinburgh on Railnatter No. 322”
Mind the Gates
A recent find is the ‘Mind the Gates’ website which gives information on level crossing operations. Take a look at a crossing near you! Here is an example of Wooden Gate, near Almmouth station
Northumberland Coast Loop Update, September 2026
On 1st September 2026, I emailed a number of local politicians and other local campaign groups with regards to the Northumberland Coast Loop; which would be a new rail route connecting Newcastle Upon Tyne to Edinburgh via North Tyneside and South East Northumberland. This email was circulated as a group to: Mr A. Ford, NEPTUG,Continue reading “Northumberland Coast Loop Update, September 2026”
Railnatter No. 319: The Tyne and Wear Metro, inc Washington extension and Metro to Morpeth?
On Wednesday 2nd September 2026, episode 319 of the long-running Railnatter series by rail engineer Gareth Dennis aired on YouTube (also available where you get your podcasts). As ever, it was a very interesting episode, covering a brief history of the system from its origins as the Tyneside electrics running on third rail (a liveContinue reading “Railnatter No. 319: The Tyne and Wear Metro, inc Washington extension and Metro to Morpeth?”
The Ancient Kingdom Railtour 22nd August 2026
In just a few minutes from the time of posting on Saturday 22nd August 2026, ‘The Ancient Kingdom’ railtour, operated by UK Railtours will depart from London King’s Cross towards Berwick-Upon-Tweed, calling to pick-up passengers at Potters Bar, Stevenage, Peterborough, and Doncaster, and setting down at Alnmouth for Alnwick is due to run, and fromContinue reading “The Ancient Kingdom Railtour 22nd August 2026”
Northumberland railway stations in the least served list, but an error with Chathill?
A recent video by the excellent Geoff Marshall (below) details some of the UK’s least served stations (fewest trains per week), which includes the famous four on the Northumberland Coast part of the East Coast Main Line (ECML) of Chathill, Acklington, Widdrington, and Pegswood; but is Chathill in the wrong location on the list? ChathillContinue reading “Northumberland railway stations in the least served list, but an error with Chathill?”
