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  Our up-to-date news is distributed to members in a News Brief, our previous Briefs being :    

 News Brief 27 - November 2009 (Word 2.47Mb) and  News Brief 26 - August 2009 (Word 1.6Mb)

 The latest Brief is freely available to new members.

February 2010:

Good News at Last!

Double good news; like buses it comes two at a time. Firstly, Thames Water has said that it has no objection to our railway in

the paddock - the Hanworth Loop. We still need to get planning permission from Hounslow Council but we are fairly confident

of getting that.  An objection from Thames Water would have stopped the whole thing.

Proposed plan of the Hanworth Loop as submitted for Planning Permission

The 'mown' line of the proposed "Hanworth Loop" at its most northerly point,

 looking east towards  the Great Engines

     Secondly, we have got The Secret Railway. Now it can be told; it is at The Welding Institute (TWI) near Cambridge. We put in a silly low bid which was rejected but when we raised it, it was accepted. The money to

buy it was donated for that purpose but we still have to raise the money transport it. In actual fact recent donations have exceeded £12,000 but there is quite a

 bit more to find before we get a running railway. A proper appeal will be launched in due course but if you want to help now then send your donation to Roger Griffiths (16 Walsham Road, Feltham TW14 0JD).

     So, we need your money but not just your money but your help as well. Transport is going to cost a large proportion of the total cost but it won't be worth having

 it if we have to pay for it to be lifted as well.

Our plan is to work from either end with gangs of 4 people, lift the track rail by rail and move it to a central place where it can be easily loaded onto a lorry. There has been second visit to check on a few things like sizes of spanners needed. The Welding Institute are not in a great hurry for the railway to be moved so we are hoping to delay work until the weather improves. There will be many days work, some at weekends so if you are at all interested in helping the contact Robert Leadbetter now so that he can keep you informed.

However, The Welding Institute consider the viaduct something of an eyesore and would like that removed first. Most of the work there requires contractors with a crane but probably a day's work from us is needed first to remove the track from it.