Backtrack  |  May 14
May 2014
Parcels on the Move - colour spread by Michael Mensing of parcels trains of the 1980s/90s.
Rails in Nidderdale - David Joy tells the story of a Yorkshire dale with the most varied of railway enterprise.
A Green and Pleasant Land - Alan Bennett reviews the GWR's brochure work for its centenary in 1935.
Kinlochleven - R. A. S. Hennessey describes a pioneer hydro-electric line and its setting.
Away to Bradford City - three pages of colour by Gavin Morrison on the city's two stations and their approaches.
Improving Rail Services in 1925 - Jeffrey Wells looks at developments on the 'Big Four' companies that year.
East Coast Pacifics - three colour pages of Ken Wightman's photos showing a range of classes at work in the 1950s.
Before the Ultimatum: Railway Readiness in Britain in 1914 - A. J. Mullay explains how the railways had prepared for the outbreak of the Great War.
All 'Saints' - three pages of archive photos of this important GWR class.
Men at Work - Paul Aitken's colour photos of railway staff about their various duties.
Lead On: The Whys and Wherefores of Locomotive Valve Gears - Part One - some descriptions and explanations by Miles Macnair.
Scotter of the South Western - Part Two - Ron Strutt looks at how, amid a financial crisis, the LSWR made the proposal that it should be taken over by the GWR.
Two of a Kind - Paul Joyce describes a pair of classic London Transport termini, Cockfosters and Uxbridge.
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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
- 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 14.