Backtrack  |  May 2015
May 2015
'Putting New Heart into Industry' - Geoffrey Skelsey considers the origins and outcomes of the 1955 Modernisation Plan.
The Stonebridge Branch - Peter Butler explores a briefly significant but now largely forgotten line in Warwickshire.
Mr. Maunsell's Moguls - four colour pages of the Southern N/N1 and U/U1 Classes.
Quintinshill - Stephen Roberts acknowledges the centenary of Britain's worst railway accident.
Inherit the Peace - Part One - A. J. Mullay looks at the 1918 Armistice and its effect on Britain's Railways.
Branches in all parts of the Country - three colour pages of branch line scenes throughout Britain.
The Devon Valley Railway - Alistair Nisbet presents the history of the Alloa-Kinross branch.
On the Great Western Route North - archive photos of the GWR main line to Birmingham, Shrewsbury and Chester.
Out and about on the Ribble Valley line - colour spread by Tommy Tomalin on the Blackburn-Hellifield route.
Newcastle District - Part One - Michael B. Binks describes the Railway Civil Engineer's work in the North East.
It seemed like a good idea at the time - Part One: Atmospheric Railways - Miles Macnair investigates some early alternatives to the steam-hauled railway.
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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:
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- 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
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You'll receive 12 issues during a 1 year Backtrack magazine subscription.
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Articles in this issue
Below is a selection of articles in Backtrack May 2015.