Backtrack | October 2025
VOLUME 39 No.10 OCTOBER 2025
Once more unto Carlisle - colour spread of steam motive power in Carlisle from the Simon Lathlane collection.
The Rise and Fall of the Midland Railway in Northampton - tracked by Barry Taylor Observations at Conwy and Llandudno Junction in 1963 - Paul Bowen recalls BR’s Indian Summer in North Wales.
Aspects of Brunel’s Bristol to Paddington line - Jeffrey Wells details the construction of this Great Western Railway main line.
Queen Victoria’s first Royal carriage - Tom Nicholls investigates the case of the wrong dimensions… The last year of steam on the Lymington Branch - recorded in colour by Robin and Thomas Sellers.
Across to Hayling Island with the ’Terriers’ - Gavin Morrison’s colour photographs of this venerable branch line operation.
On the ‘Little North Western’ - three colour shots on this route from Skipton to Lancaster and Morecambe.
Early years on The Ffestiniog Railway - John Edgington’s record of the historic Festiniog Railway in the first decade of its preservation era.
Full Metal Jacket - Hendrik Kaptein introduces Andre´Chapelon’s last revolutionary steam locomotive development.
Hampshire’s Railways - an historical county survey by Stephen Roberts.
Goodbye to Gloucester Eastgate - photographed by Peter Berry shortly before its 1975 closure.
Britain’s railways and the Boer War 1899-1902: Part Four- Berenice Baynham concludes the story with a look at the aftermath of the war and its lasting reminders.
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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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- 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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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 October 2025.