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.

The price is right - this time!

IN HAMPSHIRE AGAIN

ELEVENTH-HOUR STEAM RUNNING BOLTON-WIGAN-LIVERPOOL

MOORGATE 28th FEBRUARY 1975

ARMY DIESELS AT BICESTER • Covering twelve square miles, and with 45 miles of track linking the warehouses at Arncott and Graven Hill, Bicester Central Ordnance Depot in Oxfordshire has been home to an interesting and varied range of industrial diesels since it opened in 1941.

HOW FOUR BECAME ONE PART TWO

SIR KENNETH GRANGE - 1929-2024

THE DUKE TRIUMPHANT • In promoting or opposing Railway Bills, it wasn’t always about whom you knew, it could be about who you were - as ALISTAIR F. NISBET shows.

TEN-COUPLED • Between 1954 and 1960 251 members of the British Railways Standard Class 9F 2-10-0s entered traffic and many would argue that these powerful freight locomotives were the most successful of the Standard designs. Yet the 1955 Modernisation Plan foretold the end of steam even as new Standard engines continued to be constructed and the longest career experienced by a 9F was just fourteen years, only a fraction of its theoretical 45-year economic life. The last was withdrawn at Carnforth in June 1968, in the closing months of BR steam. But during those years they were an imposing presence on the railway system as these photographs by GAVIN MORRISON reveal.

THE MANCHESTER LOCOMOTIVE SOCIETY 90 YEARS OF ENTHUSIASM • EDDIE JOHNSON relates the history of this eminent north west railway society as it approaches its 90th anniversary.

FROM THE SOUTH WEST OF SCOTLAND TO THE NORTH EAST • More finds from the photographic travels of JOHN SPENCER GILKS

WAGGONS ROLL! • MIKE BUNN reviews the rise and fall of five German Waggon und Maschinenbau railbuses built for British Railways 1958.

BETWEEN LEICESTER AND RUGBY • Photographs by TOMMY TOMALIN on this ex-Midland Counties route which opened in 1840 and became a pre-Beeching closure in January 1962.

HOW ASHFORD WORKS HELPED THE SOVIET WAR EFFORT • Conflicts remain the blight of the world, it seems - but allies may change … as JOHN CHAPMAN shows.

SLEAFORD’S SIGNAL BOXES

MAJOR MARINDIN AN EXTRAORDINARY RAILWAY INSPECTOR … AND SO MUCH MORE • Soldier, engineer, railway inspector… Marindin also played in the first FA Cup Final and was a President of the Football Association. ADRIAN GRAY tells his story.

PONTARDULAIS TO SWANSEA • This section was an outpost of the London & North Western Railway which gave it access to Swansea for its trains via its Central Wales line from Craven Arms, on the Shrewsbury-Hereford main line, to Llandilo. From there the Great Western owned the route as far as Pontardulais. It closed on 15th June 1964 after which Central Wales trains were redirected from Pontardulais to Llanelli. These photographs were taken by JOHN WHITE.

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