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Saturday 11am - 4:30pm Sunday 11am - 4:30pm

Gunpowder Railway

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Gunpowder Railway

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Discover 170 years of narrow‑gauge history on the Gunpowder Railway in Waltham Abbey, Essex, UK.

Read our twice weekly project updates; and visit to see the UK's largest historically restored RNAD and ROF wagon collection plus many unique locomotives.

08/11/2026

Baguley-Drewry 4wDH works no. 3755 running on the Gunpowder Railway made in 1981 preserved military industrial railway locomotive. Follow us for more restorations.

07/11/2026

Today: New exhaust works, roof continues and fireworks…!

It was good to be back on site after the Hollywood movie filming break on Wednesday (for those wondering why there wasn’t an update). However today was going to be a short day to allow the set-up of the firework display for this evening. As a former Gunpowder Factory fireworks is something we do very well indeed!

Despite cold, damp and very misty conditions, work continued on the major projects already underway.

Hunslet No. 15 was the focus of much of the day's attention. A newly fabricated stainless-steel exhaust and silencer was brought to site and fitted to the locomotive. Not only did it fit perfectly without any adjustment, but the engine is now considerably quieter and produces a distinctive low roar when revved. The new air brake actuator was then fitted and the alternator temporarily reinstalled, allowing the locomotive to be run up to full air pressure and proving that the various systems were operating correctly.

Work also continued on Tinkabell the Ruston with further progress made on its cosmetic paint refurbishment.

The major task of the day was the continued roof installation for Shed 83D. Today three more roofing panels on the east side of the building were lifted into place and secured, completing Bay One. The first ridge capping section was also installed. The ridge capping proved to be one of the most flexible and uncooperative pieces of building material encountered for some time, but persistence eventually won through and it was successfully fixed in place. For the first time it is now possible to appreciate how the completed roof will look from the outside, and it appears very much in keeping with neighbouring Museum Building 83C.

Work continued until around 12.30pm before tools were packed away and the site cleared. Everyone was off site by the required 1.00pm deadline, earning thanks for the team's punctuality and cooperation.

A considerable amount of progress was achieved by a relatively small team in a short period of time.

01/11/2026

Shunting Practice with a Hunslet and Bishopton wagons on the Gunpowder Railway

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31/10/2026

Today: Roof installation begins, Wickham training plus Tinkabells….

Good conditions on site for late autumn, with mild temperatures, some afternoon sunshine, no rain and, most importantly, no wind. Although the workforce was slightly reduced, there were sufficient volunteers present to make good progress on the priority tasks.

With the refurbishment of the Wickham trolley and Dough wagon now complete, and wagon B10 in the final stages of rebuilding, attention has begun to turn towards the extensive programme of Winter 2026 projects. Before work commenced, there was an opportunity for some driver familiarisation training with the Wickham trolley in the main yard.

Work continued on the restoration of Ruston Tinkabell, this time with the removal of old paint from the rear buffer beam and main frames. Later in the day, the rear buffer beam received a fresh coat of paint, marking another visible step forward in the locomotive's refurbishment.

Refurbishment work also continued on Hunslet No. 15 ahead of the installation of the new brake actuator cylinder. Although the cylinder has now been delivered, adaptor unions are required due to differences between the thread arrangements on the new unit and the existing pipework. During the afternoon, the alternator was removed for further investigation after problems were identified with the adjustment mechanism, resulting in inadequate charging.

A significant milestone was reached with the commencement of roof renewal works on Shed 83D. The existing tarpaulin covering was removed from one structural bay, and the scaffold tower was extended to provide access. The panels were then lifted externally and slid into position on the purlins, where they were secured using rivets and brackets from the safety of the scaffold tower. The method proved effective and allowed all fixing operations to be completed safely from the platform. By the end of the afternoon, three roof panels had been successfully installed. Given that the team was developing and refining the installation sequence as work progressed, this represented excellent progress for the first day of the project.

Overall, it was a productive day across a number of work fronts, with tangible progress made on locomotive restoration, infrastructure improvements and a start on the winter programme of works.

28/10/2026

Today: bonus passenger trains, Wickham does its first track inspection and….

Overcast and damp on site today, although it did not actually rain, and it warmed up a little after lunch. A core team was on site with an important task to perform.

It was the final Kids’ Half-Term Activity Day of the year. As all the tickets had sold out a couple of days ago, the passenger train was brought out of hibernation for a bonus running day. No fewer than six trains ran, all completely full of passengers, giving the highest daily total since the Big Trains Little Trains weekend. Thanks to everyone who operated the service. A good way to bring the 2026 passenger services completely to an end!

First thing, the Wickham was used for its main role as a track inspection vehicle. Despite all the recent winds, only a few small branches were found across the track, so the railway had escaped relatively lightly.

Work continued on Bishopton wagon B10, with the roof timbers completed during the morning. After lunch, the final floor timbers were fixed in place. This marks another milestone, as the vehicle is now ready to receive its fabric roof covering and lettering. It will remain in the centre of workshop 83A for the moment while the roof panels are installed on shed 83D.

Hunslet No. 15 was placed back on the hoists in 83A, where it was discovered that the brake actuator unit was leaking and therefore not operating correctly. The unit was removed from the locomotive during the afternoon and a replacement will be ordered.

The opportunity was also taken to rearrange the locomotives in workshop 83B, leaving the Wickham immediately available for inspection duties and Tinkabell easily accessible for the continuation of refurbishment work.

26/10/2026

Joe Hewes and crew came to start a Hunslet 4wDM then gave driving a go on the Gunpowder Railway

Full video: https://youtu.be/WeDwnMNFGkQ

24/10/2026

Today: Hunslet 9080's first train in 22 years plus....!

A larger team was on site today and, had the weather been better, a start would have been made on the roof of Shed 83D. Unfortunately, the wind and rain had other ideas, particularly after lunch.

As it was dry first thing, a major shunt around the yard was carried out. Gilbert was used to move the RNAD flat wagon from alongside the mess cabin round to Shed 83E. At the same time, the tower scaffolding platform in Shed 83D was dismantled and moved into 83A, allowing the passenger train to be backed up and coupled to the RNAD tower wagon before pulling it out and up to the limit of shunt sign. No. 15 was then started and coupled to the manrider before being moved round to Shed 83C.

With 83A partially emptied, it was possible to bring Gilbert round, reverse back onto the tower wagon and push it round to Shed 83E where it is now out of the way. The tower scaffolding was then returned to 83D and the passenger train put away again. Confused? So were we. The important thing is that everything is now ready for work to begin on the roof of 83D when the weather permits.

As No. 15 and the manrider were already out and running, it seemed a shame not to take them up the line to Long Walk and back to see how the locomotive performed. The answer is very well. It will be a joy to drive once everyone becomes accustomed to the workings of the air-operated throttle. I do not think anyone fully appreciated just how compact it is until it was posed alongside the Baguley.

After lunch, a replacement light switch of the correct size was fitted to the dashboard of the Wickham along with installing the 3D-printed wire cover conduits to the end panels. Wagon B10 was moved onto the level concrete slab at the end of Shed 83A as the body was visibly twisted from the way the wagon had been sitting on the uneven hardcore floor area. Work then continued on the wagon, with the new floor being completed while remedial work was carried out to the partially installed roof timbers.

Attention also turned to painting, with green paint applied to the Wickham electrical covers and the sanded-back area on the end of B10, before black paint was applied to the bodywork fixing members. Elsewhere, more floor space was cleared in the woodwork shop, work continued on the brake gear adjustments to No. 15 with the exhaust stack being removed so that a replacement can be manufactured in stainless steel. Remedial work was also carried out on the fuel cap and strainer.

All in all, it was a busy and productive day despite the inclement weather. Although the roof work on Shed 83D will have to wait for drier conditions, a great deal was achieved and preparations are now in place to make rapid progress when the weather finally cooperates.

24/10/2026

Hunslet 9080 of 1984 from ROF Bishopton pulls its first train in 22 years at the Gunpowder Railway.

21/10/2026

The Hunslets run again! Clouds of smoke! Restored narrow gauge locomotives

21/10/2026

Today: 2 hunslets move again, a tent goes up and a Ruston departs

It was a long and wet day on site, with rain falling pretty well all the time and only stopping about half an hour before we went home. It was a small team on site today, but there was a lot of positive news to report.

In the morning, work was completed on the er****on of the tent structure over the Moes and Bishopton Hunslet No. 5. What a fiddly and frustrating job, but it is now standing and, most importantly, dry inside. Attention then turned to tweaking the brake system on Hunslet No. 15, while other jobs around the site continued despite the weather.

After lunch, work carried on with the installation of the roof on wagon B10 whilst fitting more floorboards to the same vehicle. Progress may have been slowed by the rain, but it certainly did not stop.

The first big news of the day came when Hunslet No. 15 was lowered back onto the rails and moved and stopped under its own power. I was allowed to have a little play and it is good to drive, with plenty of power when the throttle is opened. It is our seventh operating locomotive on the railway. Back in 2020 we only had two, so things have come a long way and it is pleasing to see another engine returning to service more to do and a repaint but great nether the less.

A lorry also arrived to collect the 18-inch gauge Ruston locomotive and gearbox parts for their journey to their new home at the Steeple Grange Light Railway ( SGLR ) in Derbyshire. With its departure, all of the 18-inch gauge equipment has now left the railway. The end of an era perhaps.

Workshop tasks continued throughout the day, including making a start on clearing some of the cluttered bench space, while work also took place within the new tent on Bishopton Hunslet No. 5.

The locomotive was finally started later in the afternoon, although the engine sounded very unhappy and may have a head gasket fault. Excitingly, the loco did move under its own power, but laid down a very effective smoke screen in the process. Fingers crossed it proves to be an easy fix with a bit of a strip down and repair.

With the rain finally easing towards the end of the afternoon, tools were packed away and the site closed up at about half past four after an interesting and productive day. Despite the weather, there was plenty of progress made, one locomotive returned to operation, another moved under its own power, and another chapter closed with the departure of the last of the 18-inch gauge equipment

Address

Beaulieu Drive
Waltham Abbey
EN91JY

Opening Hours

Saturday	11am - 4:30pm
Sunday	11am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+441992707370

Website

https://www.gunpowderrailway.com/

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