Editor’s Intro
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The changing face of freight
PRIVATISATION of British Rail in the mid-1990s saw the bulk of its freight businesses acquired by what became EWS, somewhat nullifying the intention of creating competition between different companies, apart from in a few relatively niche areas. Step forward to today, however, and the situation has changed dramatically. EWS is now DB Schenker, although it…
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Much to savour
THIS is the final issue produced in 2018, and what a year it has been for diesel and electric enthusiasts. Standout highlights for me include our Class 50 tour to Carlisle and the Cumbrian Coast in spring, and then the Severn Valley Railway’s magnificent ‘Hoover’ gala in autumn – who would have thought we would…
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Edwardian splendour
IT’S not often I get to use the word ‘Edwardian’ in this magazine about modern traction, but I was privileged recently to see firsthand the amazing work done returning NER Autocar No. 3170 back into service at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. The importance of this vehicle cannot be overstated. Built in 1903…
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Back to the future
FIFTY years ago saw the end of steam on British Railways, with the running of the famous 1T57 ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’ on August 11, 1968. Our small tribute to that day is on page 7, with a shot taken from the tour, of the crowds at Liverpool Lime Street and the new order in the…
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Don’t provide the ammo
OUR railways are often used as an easy stick with which to beat the Government or those in charge. National media regularly make headlines with claims of rail services being ‘too full’ or ‘too expensive’ in unfair comparisons with motoring or air travel – overlooking that these are problems essentially caused by two decades of…
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Prepare for change!
WHAT a year 2018 is already shaping up to be. I’m not talking about the ‘Beast from the East’, although the railway companies and all their staff have to be commended for the way they dealt with the extreme weather at the end of February to keep lines open and run as many services as…
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Finding the sweet spot
EVEN the most die-hard supporter of a fully nationalised railway must secretly realise there’s very little prospect now of us ever going back to a British Rail-style era. More than 20 years on from privatisation, the franchising structure has brought many benefits – such as record numbers of passengers, service frequencies to the point of…
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‘Goyles’ on film
WHEN I think about Class 31s, one of the strongest memories for me is of the second batch of ETH conversions in the early 1980s. These allowed a mini-renaissance in loco-hauled workings around where I lived at the time in West Yorkshire, filling a gap between the withdrawal of first generation DMUs and the start…
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First, last and full circle
THE next time anyone says there’s no variety any more, or that our hobby has become somehow less interesting, they need to be reminded of months like this, which has seen a diesel loco break unlikely new ground; the dispersal of a unique EMU collection; and a return to classic stamping grounds of a type…
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editor’s comment
WHAT a treat is was to attend the Old Oak Common open day at the beginning of September, and everyone involved who helped organise and steward the day has to be thoroughly congratulated. The only downside is, there cannot be another one. The first Old Oak depot was opened by the Great Western Railway in…
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