Railways Illustrated

The best coverage of today's railway scene. Each issue of Railways Illustrated offers a comprehensive round-up of the latest news and topical events from the UK across the present-day railway, including heritage traction in operation on the main lines. Railways Illustrated reflects the energy and vitality of the present-day railway scene.

Welcome

Railways Illustrated

Class 89 returns to use with LSL

DRS sells last four Class 57s to Romic, WCR and LSL

Another setback for CFPS as D345 suffers another generator flashover

LSL’s ‘Chairman’s Train’ heads to Mallaig

IN BRIEF

Peak reaches Fort William as LSL suffers Type 4 shortage

Class 31 to visit Cornwall for Bodmin & Wenford gala

Class 50 fills in as D213’s annual exam delayed

DBI Holdings secures its TOC licence via Europhoenix deal

Type 1s, 2s, 3s and 4s celebrate Pathfinder Railtours at GWR

Loram to end train operation

Northern to take commuter Class 350/2s

Renumbered Class 56s arrive in Ghana

Ex-Cornish Class 37s dominate on Mazey day specials

Latest ‘plan’ to reopen the Woodhead line?

Rail Adventure looks to recruit steam drivers

Class 47 scrapped by West Coast

Charters needs diesel power due to hot weather steam ban

GBRf Class 60s move – reinstatement is likely to happen

DB Polska Class 66 fleet renumbering complete

Welcome back to C50A’s Hercules

Peak Rail shunter event for September

Colne Valley Class 117 DMU for sale

DRS tries Class 93s; could Class 88s be on the way out?

The last leg for D9015’s comeback

Class 31 returns to help out at Moors

Deltic returns to the Nene Valley Railway

Two more 66/6s in traffic for GBRf

Class 20 moves to Ecclesbourne for gala

The rumour mill

And the news you probably haven’t heard yet…

Unit News

Shunter News

Unit Focus

Coaching Stock News

Wagon News

Liveries

Names

Extra boost for East Lancs as 20069 returns to use

Two Swietelsky guest locos make Lancs gala a success

Mid Hants gala boosted by visiting main line Types 5s

Keighley pulls several rabbits out of several hats!

McLaren Rail wants another loco for its fleet

Popular Class 58 to stay at the ELR for ‘a year’

Class 27 moves to a new home, but remains in Scotland

North Norfolk takes Class 14 D9553 for extended stay

Extreme hot weather closes railways

Wheel issues affects prototype Railbus restoration

50 years of the Class 56s • It’s now five decades since the first Class 56s arrived in the UK, and since then the fleet has had an incredibly interesting history. PIP DUNN looks at their varied lives, which is still not over yet.

Book-ing on for a good read • There have been many great railway books for the modern traction enthusiast over the last five decades, and some are now very hard to get hold of. Pip Dunn offers a few tips for buying railway books

What’s happening to… • our monthly round up of restoration projects around the country, compiled by Pip Dunn

PICTORIAL

Could, or should, ECS runs be opened up to passengers?

Standing out from the crowd • Over the years there have been a number of locos that were, well, just that little bit different. Sometimes it was because they had an alternative engine, or some other alteration which made them stand out. In the first of two parts, Pip Dunn rounds up some of the notable oddities…

GET ONE YEAR OF RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED FOR JUST £53.99

It’s always cool to be green • Due to popular request, we return to the SiCol collection for a helping of images showing the variety of trains in the BR...