Backtrack  |  May 2023
VOLUME 37 No.5 MAY 2023
Taking in the Night-Life: four dramatic colour shots of steam during the hours of darkness.
Richard Deeley: Rather more than just Compounds and ‘Flatirons’ - Philip At kins looks at the life and work of an eminent Midland Railway locomotive engineer.
Hastings to Tunbridge Wells - the story of a a South Eastern route described by Malcolm Cowtan.
A week on the Bacup–Moston goods - Former Bury footplateman Brian Topping relives some experiences of local work in east Lancashire.
Burry Port to Cwmmawr: Part Two - Bruce Laws concludes his description of this South Wales railway.
By Electric to Altrincham - colour spread of the 15,00V dc, 25kV ac and Metro trams operating between Manchester and Altrincham.
The Coronation - 1937 style - colour spread of David P. Williams’s colourised photos of the LNER and LMSR’s ‘Coronation’ and ‘Coronation Scot’ trains from the start of the last King’s reign.
The Locomotives of Consett Ironworks - Rob Langham describes the working of a Co. Durham industrial centre.
Pacific Tanks on the LNER - archive photographs of four types inherited by the LNER.
The light fades on the Cromford & High Peak line - colour spread by Keith Gays from the last days in 1967 of this remarkable Derbyshire goods line.
‘New in London’ - Geoffrey Skelsey records the life and death of the Alexandra Palace branch,
The Sleeping Car Collision at Burntisland - Alistair F. Nisbet looks into a four-train shunting accident in 1914.
Recalling the Great Central Main Line - three colour pages of steam on this route in its final three years.
read more
read less
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 2023.