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.

Carry on camping

Backtrack

UP AND UNDER AT WORTING JUNCTION

THE FORT WILLIAM-MALLAIG LINE IN 1986

MORE FRUSTRATIONS OF FUEL EFFICIENCY INCOMPLETE COMBUSTION

MEMORIES OF ANGERSTEIN WHARF 1949-1951 • Former Western Region Locomotive Inspector BOB JUDGE remembers his first years as an apprentice fitter at the little-known, Thames-side permanent way works at Angerstein Wharf in South London, as told to PAUL JOYCE.

BLYTH SPIRIT A GHOST LINE COMES BACK TO LIFE

KEEPING THE GOODS AND PARCELS MOVING • For many years the railways made more from the transport of nonpassenger traffic: raw materials for industry, manufactured products, parcels... Here is a selection of such trains from SIMON LATHLANE.

BACK ON THE EREWASH IN 1968 • RICHARD CLARKE reflects on working at Hasland Sidings and Clay Cross North signal boxes on the Erewash Valley main line between Chesterfield and Trent Junction.

INGLETON FORGOTTEN FRONTIER • DAVID JOY looks at a railway which could have formed a main line to Scotland but lost its way due to inter-company rivalry and intransigence.

THE LIVES GARRATTS AT LARGE • The Beyer-Garratt articulated type of locomotive had proved a successful concept in many countries (notably in Africa) where on narrow gauge lines powerful locomotives with low axle loading were required to handle heavy trains over severe curvature and gradients. However, they scarcely featured in their home country until 1927 when the London Midland & Scottish Railway took delivery of three 2-6-0 + 0-6-2 Garratts which it saw as the answer to double-heading on the heavy coal trains over the Midland main line where locomotive weight restrictions applied. Another 30 were introduced in 1930. They added a strange and somewhat alien presence to a British main line. These photographs of them are from the JOHN EDGINGTON Collection.

ROYAL TRAVELS • In this remarkable Platinum Jubilee year of HM The Queen’s reign we take a look at some journeys made by the famed Royal Train, as photographed by GAVIN MORRISON.

A BEYER-GARRATT AT BEDFORD

LONDON MIDLAND & SCOTTISH – THE CAMPING COACH BEHEMOTH • MIKE FENTON concludes his account of the London Midland & Scottish Railway’s Camping Coach Scheme, taking the story through to the coaches’ service during World War II.

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