Category Archives: AST News

Shaun McMahon: 1964 – 2022

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 […]

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Porta Papers Volume 3 – Now on Sale

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 […]

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Covid-19 and ASTT Conference 2020

A message from chairman John Hind in regards to the Covid-19 situation and the 2020 ASTT conference. Like a lot of organisations large and small, we have put arrangements for our 2020 conference on hold, because of the Covid-19 crisis.  By this time of the year, we normally have all arrangements finalised, but following the […]

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George Carpenter dies

Radio 4 listeners will have been saddened today (28th Jan 2020) at the news of the death of Nicholas Parsons at the grand age of 96.  By a sad coincidence, Vyvyan Vickers has just reported that George Carpenter died yesterday (27th Jan) also at the age of 96.  Vyvyan reports as follows: “George was born […]

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ASTT assists HRA on Carbon Emissions and Offsets

In response to an August 2019 article in The Railway Hub drawing attention to the threat of a government crackdown on the burning of coal on heritage steam railways, ASTT approached Steve Oates of the Heritage Railway Association (HRA) to offer assistance in preparing a submission to a government inquiry into “carbon offsetting in transport“. […]

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New-Build Steam in China

Our member from China, Liang Chenyuan, reports that steam locomotive construction did not end with the last of the SYs in 1999, but that anyone with enough money can still purchase a brand-new narrow gauge C2 Class 0-8-0 locomotive. He sent the picture below of the most recent version of the diminutive type, built in […]

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