Backtrack | January 2026
The ‘Brighton Belle’ - Michael Welch remembers a much loved train, with colour photographs.
‘At the centre of the Kingdom’ - Geoffrey Skelsey looks at the changing role of Charing Cross station.
Admiral Binstead of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway - an officer’s career described by Anthony Dawson.
Around the operational clock at Doncaster: Part One - described by John Palmer.
Healey Mills Yard Eastern Services in 1966 - Alan Taylor looks at the building and operation of this important Yorkshire freight centre.
Snowdrops - four colour pages of winter scenes photographed by Gavin Morrison.
Articulated Locomotives - Matt Ellis explains the use of Fairlie and Garrett locomotives on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways.
JSG on the Western Byways - four pages of archive photographs by John Spencer Gilks.
Congleton and Dane Viaducts - the construction of the North Staffordshire Railway’s ‘Pottery Line’ by Mike G. Fell.
The Metrovicks: Good intentions discarded - Part Two - John Palmer concludes the story of the downfall of these unsuccessful diesel locomotives.
read more
read less
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 January 2026.