Backtrack | December 2016
A Steady Climb - A. J. Mullay explains the background to Beattock and its famous incline.
The Early Years of 'The Gem of Railways'- Jeffrey Wells looks at how the railway reached Lake Windermere.
A Wednesbury Winter's Night; Part One - David J. Hayes describes a night shift at Wednesbury No.1 signal box 40 years ago.
Snaigow and Durn - David P. Williams portrays two Highland Railway locomotives.
A Derbyshire Outing - archive photos taken by Alan Tyson on the Buxton to Ashbourne line.
High Speed Trains: still available in a range of colours - six pages of colour by Keith Dungate celebrates 40 years of the Inter-City 125s.
The Train Ferries: Part Two - R.A.S. Hennessey concludes his survey of a very special form of rail/ship transport.
Across the Midlands - a colour spread covering locations from Grantham to Nuneaton.
The Departure List - George Smith looks at fatal accidents on the Stockton & Darlington Railway between 1825 and 1845.
Further Recollections of Reading Shed and its many duties - as told to Paul Joyce by former fireman Richard Smith.
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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
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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 December 2016.