Backtrack | August 2026
BACKTRACK Vol.40 No.3 - AUGUST 2026
Network Southeast as was - recalled in three colour pages by Keith Dungate.
Ward Lock Red Guides as a source of railway history: Part One - Martin Higginson trawls these extensive tourist guides for the railway information and advice provided.
A Strike on the North Eastern Railway - Alistair F. Nisbet reports on industrial action taken in 1912 in support of an engine driver while off duty.
The Conference of Motive Power Officers: Part Five - J. Crosse continues investigates his reports from the minutes of these ‘official considerations’.
Darwen’s three stations - Jeffrey Wells traces the railway developments in this small Lancashire town.
Wartime Legacy - colour spread of the ex-War Department ‘Austerity’ 2-8-0s More Crimson Ramblings - featuring the preserved Midland Railway Compound No.1000.
Memories of the Cairn Valley Light Railway: Part Two - Mike Fenton concludes his history of the long-closed Dumfries–Moniavie branch.
Pennine Pioneer - three colour pages by Gavin Morrison on the historic Manchester & Leeds Railway ‘Calder Valley’ line.
Broader Issues - archive photos from the Great Western’s broad gauge era.
Ephemeral Episodes: the West Coast Main Line in 1965 - Andrew James looks at some early motive power performances in the early diesel and electric era.
Around the Operation Clock at Derby: Part One - John Palmer describes how the railway functioned at this important motive power and traffic centre.
Works Trips - two photographs of special excursions to London and Blackpool organised for employees of two well-known companies.
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 August 2026.