Backtrack | April 14
St. Blazey Class 37s on the Cornish Speedlink Services - colour spread by David Cable.
Scotter of the South Western - Part One - Ron Strutt looks at the life and career of a man who very nearly changed the course of railway history.
Didcot Power Station - The End of an Era - Brian Ringer's photos look at a typical day's operations back in 1976.
100-Wagon Trains and their Legacy - W. S. Becket looks at the Peterborough Ferme Park coal traffic.
Feeing Railway Servants - Alistair F. Nisbet considers the practice of tips and 'rewards' given by the public for preferential attention.
More of the Stratford Scene - three colour pages by Dick Riley of motive power at Stratford shed and works in east London.
Eric Bruton on the West Highland - three pages of archive photos in 1951 by this eminent railway photographer.
Hidden in the Body - Jeffery Grayer delves into the footnotes of some working timetables in search of some interesting operational snippets.
In Patriotic Fervour - four pages of colour shots of the LMS 'Patriot' 4-6-0s, both original and rebuilt.
Walking the 'Old Road' - Peter Butler explores the signal boxes on the original Midland route to Sheffield.
Railway Fares and Charges in the eyes of the Press in 1850 - Andy Brown reveals how the subject was as contentious 150 years ago as it is today.
Railways to the Yorkshire Coast - Jeffrey Wells tells the story of the building of lines to Scarborough, Bridlington and Filey.
West from Paddington - three colour pages by David Idle of steam in the west London suburbs and out into the Thames Valley.
In Place of Steam - Norman Lowe describes some alternatives proposed in the early British Railways years.
First In, Last Out - A. J. Ludlam provides a brief insight into life at Wainfleet station in Lincolnshire.
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The specialist magazine was first published in 1986 for the purpose of ‘recording the history of Britain’s railway’ - the magazine’s strapline - and it is now published by Pendragon Publishing. Dropping every month, Backtrack magazine is your monthly dose of railway nostalgia and historical insight.
35 years later and Backtrack has firmly established itself as the authority on topics such as the history of Britain and Ireland’s train stations, railway bridges, signalling, biographies, train services and staff recollections - all of which regularly appear in the magazine. Backtrack's contributors include many of today's leading railway history writers and the magazine has a reputation for being of the highest quality.
With a multitude of unmissable monthly features, every issue aims to chronicle and record part of the history of Britain’s railway system. Every issue contains a dozen or so large articles that focus on a particular line or area in British railway history.
Whether you’re into early railway history from the 'pre-Stephenson' era, steam, diesel or electric locomotive you’ll find every era covered in minute detail - from railway company history, railway carriages and wagons, railway stations, railway ships, hotels and road vehicles, railway economic and social history and railway publicity and advertising.
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Articles in this issue
Below is a selection of articles in Backtrack April 14.