Backtrack | April 2013
Parcels from Bolton - Colour spread by Tom Heavyside of the trains from the Red Star parcels depot in 1980s/90s.
Suburban South London - Michael H. C. Baker takes a personal journey back in time.
The Line that ended in the Middle of the Sea - Barry Rigg presents a brief history of the line to Piel Pier, in Morecambe Bay.
A 'Greyhound' in the slips - Jeffery Grayer recalls the exploits of the preserved LSWR 4-4-0 No.120 in the 1960s.
British Railways' First Modernisation - Edward Gibbins considers aspects of the 1955 Modernisation Plan.
Tuxford Works and Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway Locomotives - by Philip Atkins.
The Necropolis Train - Mairead Mahon notes the strange train service from Waterloo to the London Necropolis Co. cemetery at Brookwood.
Going to Gloucester - four colour pages of J. T. Bassingdale's photos at Central and Eastgate stations in the 1950s.
The Repatriation of the Middle East 8Fs - Robert Humm provides an official report by the LMS on the wartime Stanier 2-8-0s on their suitability for return to Britain.
Not where you'd expect to find them - archive b/w photos of locomotives working away from home territory.
The Television Train - Alistair F. Nisbet describes an enterprising Scottish Region excursion programme from the late 1950s/early 1960s.
Rails in Wensleydale - David Joy tells the story of a 40-mile branch line in the Yorkshire Dales.
Steaming through Kent - three colour pages of Ken Wightman's photos illustrating SR and SECR motive power.
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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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- 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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Articles in this issue
Below is a selection of articles in Backtrack April 2013.