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.

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Backtrack

SIX-COUPLED TANKS ON THE NORTH BRITISH • Like pretty well every company the North British Railway had work aplenty for 0-6-0 tank locomotives and two classes were added early in the twentieth century – the D Class by Matthew Holmes and the F Class under William Reid, these becoming LNER Classes J83 and J88 respectively, both lasting well into British Railways days.

1960s MOTIVE POWER TRANSITION ON THE SOUTH FURNESS LINE PART ONE • Observations between Preston, Carnforth and Barrow by STEVE LEYLAND

GREAT GABLE ASHFORD TO DOVER • JEREMY CLARKE traces the building of the railway to the channel ports.

FROM THE NORTH EAST • SOME LOCOMOTIVES OF THE NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY

THE SHORT REIGN OF THE FIRST RAILWAY MAIL COACHES

HAMWORTHY JUNCTION A RETROSPECTIVE LOOK AT A DORSET STATION

REQUIEM FOR THE SOMERSET & DORSET • Sixty years this month have elapsed since the Somerset & Dorset Joint line closed. Much loved and much missed… its history has been well written about, its distinctive character savoured and the circumstances of its rundown and closure in March 1966 debated in detail. For now let’s just celebrate its existence and mark its passing.

THE CHALFORD RAILCAR YEARS PART TWO

THE CHARLESTOWN BRANCH PART ONE

MERSEYSIDE ELECTRICS • The Liverpool area was involved in the early days of railway electrification, with the Liverpool Overhead Railway in 1893, the Mersey Railway in 1903 and the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway’s Southport line in 1904. In 1939 the LMSR introduced a new fleet of electric multiple units, replacing the LYR’s stock on the Southport and Ormskirk lines, and these were extremely modern for their time with air-operated sliding doors. They later became BR Class 502. A further batch for the Mersey and Wirral lines became Class 503. All lasted in service until the 1980s and these photographs of them are by GAVIN MORRISON

WILLIAM ROWAN'S STEAM RAILCARS

THIS WAS THE VALE OF NEATH LINE • The Neath-Pontypool Road line was a remarkable cross valleys route making connections along the way with other valley lines. It is perhaps best known for its engineering works of which the most notable was the spectacular Crumlin Viaduct over the Ebbw Valley at a length of 1,658ft and height of 208ft. It was photographed by JOHN WHITE

READERS'FORUM • Letters intended for publication should ideally add extra detail to our articles (or offer corrections of course!) and not be too long, consistent with the detail they offer. As always, we are sorry that space and time prevent us from printing them all or sending personal replies. ED.

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