Headline News

Northern denies crisis talks; Virgin scraps Friday ticket restrictions; ‘Scotsman’ nameplate sells for £64,500; Vintage Trains launches main line ‘Polar Express’; Talgo plans Scottish factory; West Somerset closes for three months; TPE’s ‘Nova 3’ delayed until May; Porterbrook ‘Flex’ sets for new year debut; Immingham coaling tower demolished; Days of lineside permit numbered?

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest

66 Steam & Heritage

Public debut for ‘Saint’ at Didcot; Frames cut for ‘County’ 4-4-0 new build; Caledonian blue duo together again; Ashburton closure remembered 60 years on.

72 Industrial

74 Steam Portfolio

76 Irish

78 Narrow Gauge

80 Railtours

82 Heritage Trams

85 Classic Traction

87 Classic Traction Portfolio

88 World

90 Metro

92 Network

Network Rail consults over Croydon bottleneck; Railway Heritage Trust invests £5m in projects; Kidderminster station to be redeveloped; Exeter depot expansion.

96 Traction & Stock
First Class 444 refurbished; Northern’s new Class 195 previewed; South Wales to get Class 144 ‘Pacers’ as stop gap?

100 Traction Portfolio

102 Stock Update

103 Operations

Regulars

12 Up and Down Lines

Nick Pigott’s new opinion page looks at some recent railway positives and negatives.

12 Railways in Parliament

54 Readers’ Platform

58 Subscription Offer

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60 Panorama
Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world.

108 Meetings

112 Heritage Diary

Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.

121 Reader Services

122 Christmas Crossword

Features

14 Addicted to Steam?

The London & North Eastern Railway was an early pioneer of non-steam traction more than 100 years ago. Bob Gwynne, assistant curator at the NRM, tells the story.

20 An Edwardian Gem

Chris Milner finds out more about the North Eastern Railway’s petrol autocar, which has been lovingly restored to full working order, along with a few appropriate modifications.

24 Nodding Along

In the third and concluding part of the ‘Pacer’ story, Gary Boyd-Hope looks at the life and times of the Class 143 and 144 units.

32 Regenerating railways in the Kingdom of Fife

When it comes to rebuilding railways, Scotland has been more proactive than England. Graeme Pickering explains two schemes that are gaining momentum and which aim to restore rail services to thriving parts of Fife.

36 Ghost story

This year’s seasonal ghost story is told by Bob Lumb.

39 ‘Inn’ and out, up and down, round and round

This month’s Practice & Performance, compiled by John Heaton, samples services in Austria, ranging from modern ‘Railjet’ units to narrow gauge steam.

46 Gifts and reviews

If you are still stuck for Christmas gift ideas, our guide should give you a few suggestions.

MAIN IMAGE: The Great Western Society’s
re-created Churchward ‘Saint’ 4-6-0 stands alongside the GWR shed at Didcot Railway Centre after making its public debut in BR black as
No. 2983 Redgauntlet.
The appearance was for a one-off Black Saint Weekend on November 17-18. PETER ZABEK

INSET 1: Nearing the end – the ‘Pacers’.

INSET 2: Another Scottish rail revival on the cards?

INSET 3: A Tyneside electric at Newcastle.

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