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.

SEEING ALL SIDES AT SHIPLEY

A RIGHT ROYAL SCANDAL THE CLOSURE OF THE DEESIDE LINE PART ONE • In this edited extract from his Scotland's Lost Branch Lines: where Beeching got it wrong, DAVID SPAVEN explores the background to the controversial 1966 closure of the Deeside Line from Aberdeen to Ballater. He unearths evidence of an initial local BR willingness to co-operate with a potential buy-out of the line, which was then stamped down by central management – which also stubbornly resisted campaigners' calls for extensive economies in infrastructure and staffing as an alternative to closure.

EPHEMERAL EPISODES TRACTION IN TRANSITION

THE MISSING LINK • DAVID JOY LOOKS AT THE SAD SAGA OF THE SKIPTON TO COLNE RAILWAY

HEATON LOCOMOTIVE WORKS ROLL OF HONOUR

WHAT THE NORTH BRITISH LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY BUILT

THE WORLD'S 'FIRST RAILROAD CONDUCTOR' • MICHAEL R. BAILEY traces a connection between the pioneering Liverpool & Manchester Railway and the early nineteenth century emigrant 'pioneers' to America.

“IT ALL MAKES WORK FOR THE WORKING MAN TO DO”

SUMMER SATURDAY AT THE FINAL FLOURISH BIRMINGHAM SNOW HILL, 1965 ISH OF A MUCH-LOVED STATION

STEAM IN GOOD PORTIONS PART TWO

MIDLANDS MOMENTS

THE H CLASS 0-4-4Ts OF THE SOUTH EASTERN SOUTH EASTERN

SCOTTISH STEAM IN THE 1920s THE LEGACY OF R. D. STEPHEN

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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