Collection X project recognised with two National Awards.

A huge amount of work has gone into securing, transporting and interpreting this remarkable collection, and it’s fantastic to see that effort acknowledged by both the Heritage Railway Association and Heritage Railway Magazine. It’s a real credit to the teams in Surrey and Aberystwyth who have worked so hard to bring the collection to life.

Robin Jones, editor of Heritage Railway magazine, which sponsors the annual Heritage Railway Association Interpretation Award, said: “Just as the Talyllyn Railway started the volunteer-led heritage railway revival movement 75 years ago, the Vale of Rheidol Railway has just unveiled a new watershed landmark in the sector, with the public display of a unique fleet of locomotives from around the world which for decades until recently had been a popular urban myth amongst the enthusiast fraternity.

The late former Vale of Rheidol chairman Peter Rampton amassed Collection X, a breathtaking assortment of around 50 locomotives and items of rolling stock from his travels around the world, out of the public gaze at his Surrey farm.

Some of Collection X has now been moved to the railway’s showpiece Engine Shed Museum which will become a “must visit” for enthusiasts from around the globe and the general public alike, and has the potential for boosting Aberystwyth’s appeal as a tourist destination for all seasons.

The railway has also produced a top-class hardback guide to the locomotives, Narrow Gauge Enigma: the story of Peter Rampton and his Collection X, outlining in detail and archive photographs the history of each. A ground-breaking volume in itself, it is a shining example of the interpretation of railway history which sets an example for other heritage lines to follow, and deserves an automatic place on every enthusiast’s bookshelf.