Headline News
Northern denies crisis talks; Virgin scraps Friday ticket restrictions; ‘Scotsman’ nameplate sells for £64,500; Vintage Trains launches main line ‘Polar Express’; Talgo plans Scottish factory; West Somerset closes for three months; TPE’s ‘Nova 3’ delayed until May; Porterbrook ‘Flex’ sets for new year debut; Immingham coaling tower demolished; Days of lineside permit numbered?
Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest
66 Steam & Heritage
Public debut for ‘Saint’ at Didcot; Frames cut for ‘County’ 4-4-0 new build; Caledonian blue duo together again; Ashburton closure remembered 60 years on.
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72 Industrial
74 Steam Portfolio
76 Irish
78 Narrow Gauge
80 Railtours
82 Heritage Trams
85 Classic Traction
87 Classic Traction Portfolio
88 World
90 Metro
92 Network
Network Rail consults over Croydon bottleneck; Railway Heritage Trust invests £5m in projects; Kidderminster station to be redeveloped; Exeter depot expansion.
96 Traction & Stock
First Class 444 refurbished; Northern’s new Class 195 previewed; South Wales to get Class 144 ‘Pacers’ as stop gap?
100 Traction Portfolio
102 Stock Update
103 Operations
Regulars
12 Up and Down Lines
Nick Pigott’s new opinion page looks at some recent railway positives and negatives.
12 Railways in Parliament
54 Readers’ Platform
58 Subscription Offer
Subscribe today to receive your monthly copies of
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60 Panorama
Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world.
108 Meetings
112 Heritage Diary
Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.
121 Reader Services
122 Christmas Crossword
Features
14 Addicted to Steam?
The London & North Eastern Railway was an early pioneer of non-steam traction more than 100 years ago. Bob Gwynne, assistant curator at the NRM, tells the story.
20 An Edwardian Gem
Chris Milner finds out more about the North Eastern Railway’s petrol autocar, which has been lovingly restored to full working order, along with a few appropriate modifications.
24 Nodding Along
In the third and concluding part of the ‘Pacer’ story, Gary Boyd-Hope looks at the life and times of the Class 143 and 144 units.
32 Regenerating railways in the Kingdom of Fife
When it comes to rebuilding railways, Scotland has been more proactive than England. Graeme Pickering explains two schemes that are gaining momentum and which aim to restore rail services to thriving parts of Fife.
36 Ghost story
This year’s seasonal ghost story is told by Bob Lumb.
39 ‘Inn’ and out, up and down, round and round
This month’s Practice & Performance, compiled by John Heaton, samples services in Austria, ranging from modern ‘Railjet’ units to narrow gauge steam.
46 Gifts and reviews
If you are still stuck for Christmas gift ideas, our guide should give you a few suggestions.
MAIN IMAGE: The Great Western Society’s
re-created Churchward ‘Saint’ 4-6-0 stands alongside the GWR shed at Didcot Railway Centre after making its public debut in BR black as
No. 2983 Redgauntlet.
The appearance was for a one-off Black Saint Weekend on November 17-18. PETER ZABEK
INSET 1: Nearing the end – the ‘Pacers’.
INSET 2: Another Scottish rail revival on the cards?
INSET 3: A Tyneside electric at Newcastle.
