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© 2026 Making Tracks Railway Podcast
Description
Engineer Alasdair Stewart, Sharon Gregory and producer Laura Raymond meet experts and enthusiasts to talk trains, technology and infrastructure at historic, minor and quirky railways from around the world...
The ‘Making Tracks’ podcast is a blatant excuse for railway enthusiast Alasdair to spend more time talking to other track and infrastructure experts and take a deep dive into Heritage Railway projects world-wide.
From Civil Engineering Manager for the Welsh Highland Railway reconstruction, completing the final twelve mile phase from Rhyd Ddu to Porthmadog, to bridge construction on HS2, a theme park railway in South Korea and Mail Rail in London, Alasdair Stewart has built a reputation on having much more than a one track mind!
Sharon Gregory presents 'Railway Ride-outs' - visiting Heritage Lines by Harley - with lots of tips for the Biker Rail Enthusiast.
Produced by Journalist Laura Raymond
28 Episodes
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Send a text We visit the UK's only public rack and pinion line, Snowdon Mountain Railway which is also the highest railway route, going to the Summit station from the foot of Snowdon – or Y Wyddfa its official name in the Welsh language. Sharon heads to England on her Harley on a 'Railway Rideout' to explore a tranquil corner of the birthplace of the industrial revolution, IronBridge Gorge Museum in Telford. Paddy Range goes to Kent, for a ride on the Spa Valley railway behind a Class 33 from...
Send a text We've revamped for 2026 with new branding, featuring presenters Sharon Gregory and Alasdair Stewart marking our 4th year of chatting about Railways. In this episode Alasdair meets a couple of UK Railway volunteers Dan Holbrook & Caleb Lovegrove, They, and a group of friends and colleagues have recently been on what we could refer to in the UK as a bus man's holiday, taking a tour of railways in India. Sharon travels to Oswestry this time to catch the steam train on the C...
Send a text In this episode, Mr Hornby himself, Simon Kohler chats to Alasdair about his new book 'My life at Hornby' and his career at the model manufacturer. Alasdair travel to Manchester to visit an exhibition put on by one of the most senior railway modelling societies in the world and young rail enthusiast Cynan Hughes reports from a grassroots model railway club exhibition in north Wales, Sharon Gregory leaves her bike in the garage and a very looong day trip, to Scotland . And I catch ...
Send a text Welcome to this episode of Making Tracks Podcast with Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory. In many episodes you will have heard us welcoming opportunities for young railway enthusiasts...so we thought we should practice what we preach and in this episode we welcome two teenage guest presenters. Rail enthusiasts , George Woodward and Cynan Hughes, accompanied of course by their parents and with all permissions given, went out to report for Making Tracks Railway Po...
Send a text In this episode we’ll be visiting two national railway museums, in Utrecht and York, a gala event at the East Lancashire railway, and riding on standard and narrow gauge heritage lines, the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, run entirely by volunteers in Kent, and the STAR museum railway in the Netherlands, and along the way, discovering a replica broad gauge pioneer, running on rails 1945mm apart... #Utrech #York #NRM #SittingbourneandKemsleylightrailway #railwayvolunteer...
Send a text In this episode of Making Tracks with Alasdair Stewart, Sharon Gregory and Laura Raymond, we’ll be visiting Welshpool and Llanfair Railway a rural, narrow gauge light railway, built to develop the economy of a marginal hinterland in Welsh border country, hear from competition winner George Woodward, who at 14 years old, got to try his hand on the regulator of a steam locomotive for the first time. George won a driver experience in a Facebook competition run by the Rudyard La...
Send a text In this episode of Making Tracks we’ll take you behind the scenes of the 'Greatest Gathering' in Derby, England for a prestigious piece of the UK's Railway 200 celebrations. Engineer Alasdair Stewart meets some of those who made it happen, and speaks with a variety of people representing a fraction of the variety and scope of the UK railway family as the movement looks forward to the future. All aboard for the Greatest Gathering! Sharon Gregory goes on another 'Railway Rideout' to...
Send a text Welcome aboard this episode of MAKING TRACKS RAILWAY PODCAST with Alasdair Stewart and Sharon Gregory – no tickets are required to travel with us and there is no fare to pay! In this episode we’ll be hearing from a teacher at one of Ukraine’s Childrens' Railways , an enthusiast and preservationist from Kiev tells me something of the current challenges in that country……Bill Parker of Flour Mill fame reflects on the two year working holiday of one of his engines in Transylvania, and...
Send a text In this episode of Making Tracks with Alasdair Stewart, we hear cherished memories of growing up at a remote station house in rural north Wales from Lynette Tucker... daughter of John Harrison—fondly known as 'Lord North'. His great uncle, John Wills and his acquaintance with Bassett Lowke, who employed him to convert the #Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway from a derelict 3ft gauge railway to “15 “inch Gauge. We also visit a uniquely gauged tramway in Devon, call ...
Send a text In this Episode of Making Tracks, engineer and podcaster Alasdair Stewart learns about modern methods of marketing heritage railways with the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways' Osian Hughes. Helen Leslie explains how a museum is a fundamental part of the visitor experience at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in Porthmadog, and Sharon Gregory has been on tour on her motorbike visiting some of her favourite lines and meets the S4C TV dragons at the Talyllyn Railw...
Send a text In this episode of Making Tracks Podcast I visit some of England's most charming, bucolic countryside to join in celebrations at the Kent and East Sussex Railway, as they mark 25 years since Bodiam station was reopened. The 'Railway 200' anniversary is marked in Hastings, with an exhibition at the town's museum and gallery, and I went to meet the , former Railwayman Kevin Boorman. We speak about his collection of railway memorabilia and some of region’s rich railway history....
Send a text In this episode our travels to uncover Railway stories take us to Anglesey to meet Walter Glynn Davis, the 81 year old chair of Lein Amlwch – Anglesey Central Railway Ltd, a group who are working to bring the Amlwch to Gerwen line back into service. Walter, retired teacher travelled, on the last passenger train in 1964 and being a local man from Amlwch the line has been his passion ever since. We talk to the new job share General Managers: Liz Porrett and Lorraine Simk...
Send a text Two cities and two very different electric railway stories: one still thriving with its original Victorian vintage vehicles and the other, a fading memory, with just a few tangible remains left around the city. I go to Brighton beach to visit Volk's the oldest operating Electric railway in the world and we head to the National Museum of Liverpool to speak to the curator of Land, Transport Works and Industry, Sharon Brown to find out about the former Liverpool Overhead Electr...
Send a text Welcome to the first episode of making tracks of 2025 the start of a special year in the Railway calendar – Railway 200 Railway 200 is a cross sector, government backed, partner led campaign to celebrate Two centuries since the start of the modern era of rail travel marked by the opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway in 1825 The bi-centenary Celebrations started with a New Years Day 'Whistle Up' across the UK and beyond. Alan Hyde joins us from the Railway 200...
Send a text The UK winter is a good time for indoor hobbies and like many others Alasdair's thoughts turned to model railway kits he has bought but hasn't got around to building! Instead of getting on with the job we went to the NEC to the inaugural National Festival of Railway Modelling for some inspiration... organised by Warners after taking over the slot from Worley. With more of family friendly appeal the show attracted thousands to the NEC over the weekend of Novembe...
Send a text This episode focusses on engines from Africa. The first returned to steam after 20 years of restoration work and fundraising from dedicated volunteers – the NG 15 134. Alasdair talks to volunteer project leader Adrian Strachan and some of the volunteers and staff Now you know many a gem is found browsing a Railway Second hand book stall – a pastime Sharon from our Railway Ride Outs and Alasdair have in common. Well our second story from Africa this episode came to light when Alas...
Send a text In this episode of Making Tracks we visit the Cheshire town of Crewe, once dubbed the ' Railway Capital of the World ' -and see how the the town's railway and industrial inheritance is being preserved at the Crewe Heritage Centre, We meet three trustees and take a walk around the museum, sit in the cab of the only remaining APT – Advanced Passenger Train and explore a signal box transplanted from Exeter, carefully rebuilt, complete with a 100 plus lever frame with working interloc...
Send us a text In this episode of Making Tracks, Alasdair Stewart goes over old ground, or rather underground, as he revisits the post office railway – or Mail Rail as it has become known in recent decades, which is part of London's Postal Museum. Alasdair was keen to take a journey on the railway after working as a contracting engineer on the track upgrade underground nearly 10 years ago. Welcome to new contributor trainee fireman Sharon Gregory, Sharon's Railway Ride outs will give you some...
Send us a text This episode is a tale of two railways both celebrating milestones. A new beginning of the final stretch the two mile missing link that will join Robertsbridge to Tenterden and the Kent and East Sussex Railway and the Ffestiniog Railway Society marking 70 years. The inauguration of the RVR's new turntable coincided with the K&ESR 50th We meet volunteers from both railways and I get to speak to a former politician and Railway Royalty, Michael Portill...
Send us a text This episode of Making Tracks finds us once again in Sussex visiting a gem of a Railway, The Lavender Line just outside Uckfield. It is then onward to Robertsbridge to talk over plans, now getting underway for the rebuilding of the Rother Valley Railway, which will re-connect the Kent and East Sussex Railway to the National Network. A chance while we were in Sussex to head to the west and catch up with radio and TV presenter Stephen Cranford, to talk to him about his new series...
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