Backtrack | May 2021
'On the Difficult Stretch from the Tyne to the Border'… and onwards - three pages of Gavin Morrison's colour on the East Coast route north of Newcastle.
The Preston & Longridge Railway including the Whittingham Hospital Railway - described by Gordon Biddle
Steam Railmotors and Push-Pull Auto Trains in the Wrexham District; Part One - Ian Travers reviews GWR steam rail motor workings between 1904 and 1933.
Strabane: Part One - Jim McBride looks back at a lost Northern Ireland railway centre.
Orbiting London - Eric Stuart considers the renaissance of some old London rail services in the 21st century.
East Enders - four colour pages featuring Great Eastern Railway tank locomotives.
From Reivers to Railways - Ruary Mackenzie Dodds introduces the forgotten Dodds dynasty.
The Little North Western line - archive photos by John Spencer Gilks of the little from Skipton to Lancaster and Morecambe.
Railways of Bradford - David Joy explains the difficulties the city experienced in establishing its main line railway status.
Operation Dynamo - John Chapman looks at the Southern Railway's role in the Dunkirk evacuation in World War II.
Crane Solutions at Derby Works - described by Brian Chandler.
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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.
A Backtrack digital magazine subscription is your go-to for railway history:
- Britain's leading historical railway magazine
- Delving into the era of horse-drawn tramroads up to locomotives and rolling stock
- History of lines, the social, political, financial, engineering and labour aspects of the railway
- Archive black and white quality images and historical colour coverage of the railway scene
- The history of train stations, railway bridges, signalling, biographies and train services
- Contributors include many of today's leading railway history writers
- Delivered directly to your device every week
You'll receive 12 issues during a 1 year Backtrack magazine subscription.
Note: Digital editions do not include the covermount items or supplements you would find with printed copies.
Articles in this issue
Below is a selection of articles in Backtrack May 2021.