Backtrack

Backtrack, Britain's Leading Historical Railway Journal, covers all aspects of railway history from its earliest days through to more recent events up to around ten years before now including, early railway history from the 'pre-Stephenson' era, steam, diesel and electric locomotive history, railway company history, railway carriages and wagons, railway stations, railway ships, hotels & road vehicles, railway economic and social history, railway publicity and advertising. Backtrack's contributors include many of today's leading railway history writers. From the beginning the magazine has maintained a reputation for its production values and each issue contains a wealth of photographs reproduced to the highest standards, including a generous selection of historic colour. Published monthly, Backtrack is THE magazine for all who are interested in British railway history.

Hanging on the telephone

Backtrack

ONCE MORE UNTO CARLISLE • As promised in the March issue, here are more photographs from the SIMON LATHLANE Collection of steam at the great railway centre of Carlisle.

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MIDLAND RAILWAY IN NORTHAMPTON

OBSERVATIONS AT CONWAY AND LLANDUDNO JUNCTION IN 1963 BRITISH RAILWAYS' INDIAN SUMMER IN NORTH WALES

ASPECTS OF BRUNEL'S BRISTOL TO PADDINGTON LINE

QUEEN VICTORIA'S FIRST ROYAL CARRIAGE THE CASE OF THE WRONG DIMENSIONS AND THE PERSISTENT ERROR!

THE LAST YEAR OF STEAM ON THE LYMINGTON BRANCH

ACROSS TO HAYLING ISLAND WITH THE 'TERRIERS' • Mentioned in our article this month on ‘Hampshire’s Railways’, a branch line curio which lasted into the 1960s was the 4s-mile connection from Havant, on the the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway Portsmouth–Brighton line, across Langstone harbour to Hayling Island. For many years the train service had been the preserve of the Brighton’s A1X 0-6-0Ts – the ‘Terriers’ – which were light enough to work across the long timber bridge to the island but by the 1960s the age of these venerable little engines and the condition of the bridge led inevitably to the branch’s closure in 1963. GAVIN MORRISON visited the year before on 4th August 1962.

ON THE 'LITTLE' NORTH WESTERN • The ‘little’ North Western Railway from Skipton to Lancaster via Clapham was opened throughout in 1850 and later was taken over by the Midland Railway. The MR had a branch from Clapham to Ingleton but its planned continuation to the West Coast Main Line at Low Gill was taken over by the London & North Western Railway as part of the ‘power politics’ to keep the MR from reaching Carlisle. The whole complicated story is told in BT Vol.36 No.6!

EARLY YEARS ON THE FFESTINIOG • This year marks the 70th anniversary of he reopening of the Ffestiniog Railway, nine years after its closure in 1946. From a very modest beginning to the complete restoration of it through to Blaenau Ffestiniog took another 27 years – but here we look back to those pioneering days through photographs from the JOHN EDGINGTON Collection.

FULL METAL JACKET CHAPELON'S LAST REVOLUTIONARY STEAM LOCOMOTIVE DEVELOPMENT • Recently rediscovered letters by Chapelon containing hitherto unpublished data on his revolutionary 2-12-0 six-cylinder compound goods locomotive, revealed by by HENDRIK KAPTEIN

HAMPSHIRE'S RAILWAYS

GOODBYE TO GLOUCESTER EASTGATE

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

DUNDEE PETTY CUSTOMS AND THE PERTH RAILWAY • Tariffs have been in the news lately! ALISTAIR F. NISBET looks back at earlier practices in Dundee as they affected the railways.

THE 'GLINT' • Capturing the lustrous effects of low autumn...