Buckingham’s exclusive souvenir cover marks our 125th anniversary.
WE have all become more familiar with major anniversary celebrations lately, not least with the Queen celebrating her golden, diamond and platinum jubilees this century, but we are also entering a period of major railway milestones – such as 100 years since the ‘Big Four’ Grouping next year, and then 200 years since the Stockton & Darlington Railway opened in 2025.
But this month marks our very own ‘quasquicentennial’ (and yes, I did have to look that up!), as 125 years ago in July 1897 the first issue of The Railway Magazine was published.
It was a breath of fresh air at the time, as most other railway titles were more serious journals about engineering or finance, whereas The RM set out to appeal to a broader readership that had an interest in railways and their operations.