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.

Editorial • Mapping the past

NETWORK SOUTHEAST AS WAS • NSE was one of the first passenger ‘sectors’ created by British Rail in 1982 as part of the ‘sectorisation’ plan to organise railway operations on a ‘business’ basis rather than the Regional basis which had existed since nationalisation. It was originally ‘London & South Eastern’ until 1986, its areas of activity being loosely self-explanatory. Railway re-organisation being what it is, by 1992 NSE functioned under nine ‘profit centres’ but it ceased to exist in 1994 as the railways were then preparing for privatisation by ‘train operating companies’. Yet it was an influential if brief period of railway history and will be remembered for, if nothing else, its colourful livery as recorded and described in these photographs by KEITH DUNGATE

WARD LOCK RED GUIDES AS A SOURCE OF RAILWAY HISTORY PART ONE

A STRIKE ON THE NORTH EASTERN RAILWAY

THE CONFERENCE OF MOTIVE POWER OFFICERS PART FIVE

DARWEN’S THREE STATIONS - AND MORE

WARTIME LEGACY

MORE CRIMSON RAMBLING

MEMORIES OF THE CAIRN VALLEY LIGHT RAILWAY PART TWO

PENNINE PIONEER • A new book on the Manchester & Leeds, later the Lancashire & Yorkshire, Railway main line, again brings together our former publisher David Joy and regular photograph contributor Gavin Morrison to present a historical and pictorial salute to a pioneer railway, the first through the Pennines. So here is a selection of GAVIN MORRISON’s photographs of a remarkable railway, completed in 1841.

BROADER ISSUES • Some broad gauge locomotives of the Great Western Railway from the T. J. EDGINGTON COLLECTION

EPHEMERAL EPISODES THE WEST COAST MAIN LINE IN 1965

AROUND THE OPERATIONAL CLOCK AT DERBY PART ONE

WORKS TRIPS

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.

BOOKREVIEWS

EDITORIAL GUIDELIINES • BACKTRACK is always keen to encourage the submission of suitable material by prospective authors and photographers but, to avoid possible disappointment, the following general notes might be helpful to indicate the preferred form which submissions should take.