Backtrack | May 2026
BACKTRACK Vol.40 No.5 - MAY 2026
Tribute to the High Speed Trains - three pages of colour making the end of these landmark trains on main line services.
Holmethorpe Sand - David J. Hayes looks at rail movements from this Surrey quarry during the 1970s and 80s.
Henry Alfred Ivatt: Through the eyes of C. S. Lake and others - Malcolm Cowtan looks at the life and work of this Great Northern Railway locomotive engineer.
Railways and the FA Cup Campaigns of Wolverhampton Wanderers - Paul Bowen follows the fortunes of the Wolves in 1889, 1896 and 1908.
Over or Under? Rails across the Humber - An overview of the various schemes to connect East Yorkshire with North Lincolnshire by Phil Mathison.
Eight wheels on the LMS - three eight-coupled freight locomotive classes in colour.
Rails in the Fells: Still – celebrating the survival of the Settle to Carlisle line in colour.
Daddy Long-Legs takes to the tracks - John Wade introduces The Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway.
JSG on the Somerset & Dorset 0 archive photographs from the John Spencer Gilks collection.
Saving the Settle –Carlisle Railway - David Joy looks at how England ’s highest main line survived to celebrate its 150th anniversary in May 2026.
The Wantage Tramway: Part One - Bruce Law describes a Berkshire railway byway.
The Charlestown Branch: Part Two - Alistair F. Nisbet concludes his account of this branch on the Firth of Forth.
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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 2026.