Throughout the country, at 12 noon on Wednesday, 1st January 2025 heritage steam locomotives will sound their whistles in a coordinated cacophony of sound.
Sounding locomotives whistles at midnight on New Year’s Eve was a regular occurrence in steam days, and this evocative rekindling of tradition has been coordinated by the Heritage Railway Association.
Driver Mick Matthews and fireman Alex Robinson who will perform the ‘whistle up’ // Credit John Titlow
Railway 200 will run throughout 2025, and as well as commemorating the birth of modern railways, it is designed to inspire a new generation of young, pioneering talent to choose a career in rail.
In addition to running a number of events during 2025 to mark Railway 200, the Severn Valley Railway will also be celebrating its own 60th anniversary.
Further information about all the railway’s events is online at svr.co.uk.
2857 at Bridgnorth // Credit: 2857 Society
Sounding the ‘whistle off’ at the Severn Valley will be volunteer driver Mick Matthews who lives in Norton Canes, Staffordshire and has been a volunteer at the railways since 1992.
Also on the footplate of one of the railway’s steam locomotive will be fireman Alex Robinson, aged 25 from Bridgnorth in Shropshire.
Sounding the ‘whistle off’ at the Severn Valley will be volunteer driver Mick Matthews who lives in Norton Canes, Staffordshire and has been a volunteer at the railways since 1992. Also on the footplate of one of the railway’s steam locomotive will be fireman Alex Robinson, aged 25 from Bridgnorth in Shropshire.
75069 being prepared for service at Bridgnorth. // Credit: Will Marsh
“We’ll be at Bridgnorth station, waiting to depart with the southbound service to Kidderminster. When we sound the whistle at noon, we’ll definitely be giving it some extra welly for this very important occasion! I feel really honoured to be representing the SVR for this celebration, as the railway means so much to me. When I was going through treatment for cancer a few years ago, it was the hope of getting back to volunteering duties and the support of my friends and colleagues here that kept me going.”
Volunteer driver Mick Matthews
“Knowing that heritage loco crews across the UK will be all sounding their whistles at exactly the same time is a wonderful way of bringing us all together. What a privilege to be launching the start of Railway 200!”
At 72A (Exmth jct shed on southern) We would set down detonators at midnight! Until one was put down the pointsmans hut bell pot heating coal fire chimney! Blew door off! Then all games stopped! Apart from some whistles of coarse.
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Responses
Does anyone know which other railways are taking part in the Jan 1 Whistle Off?
All heritage railways l believe.
Or at least those which have an operating day, which is probably most of them. Steaming a loco is an expensive business nowadays.
Ok thank you
The ones which are open a lot close after Santa trains and for January
At 72A (Exmth jct shed on southern) We would set down detonators at midnight! Until one was put down the pointsmans hut bell pot heating coal fire chimney! Blew door off! Then all games stopped! Apart from some whistles of coarse.