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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!

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.

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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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

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

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 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, run entirely by volunteers in Kent, and the STAR museum railway in the Netherlands, and along the way, discovering a replica broad gauge pioneer, running on rails 1945mm apart...

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.

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.