railway archive

From the archive: graffiti, ‘jumbo’ steam trains and £25 fares – railway concerns in 1989

by

Mark Lancaster

–

29th September 2026

From the September 1989 issue of The Railway Magazine, Peter Kelly considered the growing graffiti problem on the railway and the economics of main line steam excursions. The piece also looked at a proposed 488-seat train over the Settle & Carlisle line and the costs involved in operating steam-hauled services. Signs of the times PERHAPS…
Continue reading »
From the archive: Inside Crewe’s railway power control centre in 1962

by

Mark Lancaster

–

23rd September 2026

In September 1962, The Railway Magazine examined the power control centre at Crewe as work advanced on the Crewe to Stafford section of the London Midland Region electrification scheme. The centre already supervised power feed to the Manchester-Crewe and Liverpool-Crewe sections and was the first of four centres intended eventually to cover the entire electrification…
Continue reading »
From the archive: Inside Healey Mills marshalling yard in 1963

by

Mark Lancaster

–

22nd September 2026

In September 1963, The Railway Magazine took a detailed look at Healey Mills, the new marshalling yard four miles west of Wakefield on the Calder Valley route to Manchester. The article described a yard capable of handling 4,000 wagons a day, with 120 sidings totalling 57 miles of track. HEALEY MILLS, four miles west of…
Continue reading »
From the archive: Forty years of rail-air at Gatwick in 1975

by

Mark Lancaster

–

16th September 2026

In September 1975, The Railway Magazine looked back at forty years of rail-air links at Gatwick. The article traced the story from the opening of Tinsley Green station in 1935 through to the rail connection serving the airport in 1975. FORTY YEARS OF RAIL-AIR AT GATWICK WHEN Airports Limited planned its new “air station” at…
Continue reading »
From the archive: ‘Snowdon’ rebuilt on the Snowdon Mountain Railway in 1963

by

Mark Lancaster

–

12th September 2026

In the September 1963 issue of The Railway Magazine, major repairs to Snowdon Mountain Railway locomotive No. 4, Snowdon, were reported following work at the Hunslet Engine Co. Ltd., of Leeds. The article detailed the locomotive’s unusual Abt system features, its rebuilt components and its return to Snowdonia. “Snowdon” rebuilt THE recent major repairs effected…
Continue reading »
From the archive: School or ‘Silver Jubilee’? A 1982 look back at a forerunner of the High Speed Train

by

Mark Lancaster

–

10th September 2026

In the September 1982 issue of The Railway Magazine, D. L. A. Smith recalled playing truant in September 1935 to see the LNER’s new “Silver Jubilee” train on its Press Run. His account records the appearance of Silver Link, the passing of the train at Oakleigh Park and the later history of the “Silver Jubilee”.…
Continue reading »
From the archive: 42 years ago, Arthur Miller looked back on three decades of railway enthusiasm

by

Mark Lancaster

–

15th August 2026

In the August 1984 issue of The Railway Magazine, Arthur Miller’s “Thirty Years On” looked back to the dawn of his railway enthusiasm. Having travelled over all the British Railways passenger lines in Great Britain then carrying a regular timetabled service, he reflected on the journeys, changes and experiences of the previous three decades. A…
Continue reading »
From the archive: Glasgow museum receives one of Britain’s last fireless steam locomotives

by

Mark Lancaster

–

13th August 2026

From the August 1969 issue of The Railway Magazine, A. Kempsell reported on the preservation of a fireless steam locomotive formerly used at Dalmarnock Power Station. The locomotive had been presented to Glasgow’s Museum of Transport by the South of Scotland Electricity Board. A permanent home in Glasgow ONE of the last fireless steam locomotives…
Continue reading »
From the archive: Mid-Hants Railway celebrates 20 years with a packed 1993 gala

by

Mark Lancaster

–

5th August 2026

n September 1993, The Railway Magazine reported on a successful Mid-Hants Railway gala marking 20 years of operation. The event featured visiting locomotives, intensive services and progress on projects across the railway. A capacity gala OVER the weekend of 3/4 July, the Mid-Hants Railway held a very successful gala event to celebrate 20 years of…
Continue reading »
From the archive: Swindon ‘Steam’ opens to the public

by

Mark Lancaster

–

30th July 2026

We take a verbatim look back at when JOHN STRETTON was given an insight into Swindon’s new £11m railway museum. WEDNESDAY June 14, 2000 will become an important day in the history of Swindon and its railways. After many years, alternative suggestions, trials and tribulations along the way, this date was due to mark the…
Continue reading »

railway archive

Latest Issue

Free Digital Issue

Search

Tags