ASTT will hold its 2023 conference in the Leonardo Hotel in Swindon over the weekend of 7th-8th October. It is expected that the conference will include around nine presentations, an afternoon outing (to the nearby Swindon & Cricklade Railway), and a conference dinner at the hotel on the Saturday evening. The anticipated admission fee is […]
Breaking away from our normal focus on steam loco technology, we have just published a new book by David Wardale which he has titled “Reminiscences of a Trainspotter”. Wardale describes it as “the story of his passage through the 1960s” and shows the incredible variety of locomotive shapes that could be seen on BR in […]
Dāvis Bušs, our member from Latvia, is seeking donations to save a diesel-electric locomotive fitted with a 50kW diesel generator that is big enough to power really large consumers such as a hospital, etc. After the war, it would become a museum exhibit. A summary of the project can be found at http://kudrasbanitis.lv/index.php/en/projects/187-locomotive-esu2a-for-ukraine including a […]
In case you’ve not found it, please be aware that our “Revolution” page has been updated with the latest news of the project. Please take a look and, if possible, make a contribution towards its cost.
In case any members are not receiving our emails, our Newsletter editor, Iain McCall, has today (21/11/23) circulated the March 2023 edition of our Newsletter. Filling 57 pages, it contains our usual updates on ASTT’s membership and activities, plus three articles of great interest: Derivation of the Locomotive Energy Balance by Martin Johnson, Cylindrical Fireboxes—Sorting […]
In case any members are not receiving our emails, our Newsletter editor, Iain McCall, circulated the November 2022 edition of our Newsletter this afternoon (20th November 2022). Filling 42 pages, it contains several interesting articles in addition to our usual reports on ASTT’s membership and activities. If any member has not received a copy of […]
ASTT’s 2019 Conference was successfully held at the Head of Steam museum in Darlingon over the weekend of 15/16 October with 28 members in attendance. This was a significant increase on our 2021 Loughborough conference, but numbers were constrained by concerns about rail travel because of the recent propensity for strikes. Covid caused at least […]
Today, 21st March 2022, marks the 100th birthday of Livio Dante Porta, the Argentinian engineer who took over the mantle from Chapelon in continuing the development of steam locomotive technology through to the end of the 20th century and on to his death in 2003. ASTT is celebrating his centenary by releasing the first volume […]
We are deeply saddened to report the untimely death of Shaun McMahon. It is understood that he died in Buenos Aires from complications associated with Covid. Shaun began his railway career on the Ffestiniog Railway, joining the permanent staff there as a trainee technician engineer in 1984 when Phil Girdlestone was Works Manager. Thus began […]
The Bure Valley Railway, Advanced Steam Tractions Trust and the Heritage Railway Association have held a further set of trials to test bio–coal under more arduous working conditions. The first set of trials took place in June and tested the fuels under normal Bure Valley train operating conditions. The objective of the second trials was […]
After a few set-backs and delays, ASTT’s latest publication “Selection of Papers by L.D. Porta – Volume 3” is now available for purchase through this website. It features 19 papers formed into three groups under the headings: Boilers, Fireboxes and Combustion. Full details can be found on the book’s sales page. This is the third […]
The DS Spiez has returned to lake operation in Switzerland, equipped with a brand new V-2 steam engine designed and built by Roger Waller through the auspices of his DLM company. A video of the ship on test can be seen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MZVIFrvIP4. The German description of the video says: “During this trial, the new […]