Railway 'whistle-up' starts anniversary year

Heritage locomotives across the south of England will be joining in a worldwide "whistle-up" to mark 200 years of passenger rail travel.

Swanage Railway, North Dorset Railway, Isle of Wight Steam Railway and Didcot Rail Centre are among those making a noise at 12:00 GMT on New Year's Day.

Organised by the Heritage Railway Association, it is expected to involve locos as far afield as Holland, South Africa and Sierra Leone.

Network Rail described it as the "biggest railway heritage mass-participation event, ever".

More than 50 heritage railways in the UK and abroad will be blowing the whistles of nearly 200 vintage steam and diesel locomotives to mark the start of Railway 200.

The year-long celebrations commemorate the launch of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825, a landmark moment that revolutionised public transport.

Train engine horns at mainline stations will also sound to welcome in the anniversary year, Network Rail said.

In Oxfordshire, Didcot Railway Centre will be marking the occasion with GWR Prairie 4144, which will be in steam on 1 January.

On the Isle of Wight, special new year trains will join in the whistle-up as they run on the line at Havenstreet.

North Dorset Railway at Shillingstone and Swanage Railway locomotives will also be marking the occasion.

Steve Oates, chief executive of the Heritage Railway Association, said: "The whistle-up is a great chance for everyone involved in railways, big and small, across the world, to join in the celebrations and see in 2025 in style by reviving a tradition from the age of steam."

Rail Minister Lord Hendy said: "The world changed forever in 1825 with the birth of the modern railway in Britain, and rolled out across the globe.

"Railway 200's celebrations are a unique opportunity to honour a ground-breaking moment in our history."

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