NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL:The two Princes of Wales!

Barrie Hughes presents the full story of the Welsh Highland Railways extension to the halfway point of Rhyd Ddu, from conception to the opening of the new section by HRH The Prince of Wales on July 30, and reviews this magnficently-scenic line's aspirations to reconnect with the Ffestiniog Railway at Porthmadog.

BROADENING OUR HORIZONS
The world of railway preservation is set to make another major leap forward with the steaming of the first all-new locomotive built to Brunel's legendary 7ft O' in gauge since 1888, when replica GWR 2-2-2 Firefly makes its debut at Didcot Railway Centre as the culmination of a 20-year project. Laurence Osborne looks at the forgotten quadrant of our railway history that was GW broad gauge, and asks whether it could be revived as the basis of a heritage line.

CARRIAGE & WAGON DEPARTMENT: That most special saloon!
Acclaimed one-man coach restorer Stephen Middleton, who has launched ambitious plans to restore NER petrol-electric railcar No. 3170 to full working order, describes how he became involved with his first carriage, GER inspection saloon No. 14.

PRIZE COMPETITION
Win Peter Gray's new West Country album.

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL:Steaming back to Swindon
On September 20/21, the Swindon & Cricklade Railway Society will proudly celebrate its 25th birthday with the return to traffic of ex-Barry wreck GWR 4-6-0 No. 7903 Foremarke Hall at a special action-packed gala, complete with bus link to the STEAM museum! John Stretton reports on the line's history and latest moves to extend into both of the towns in its title.

THE CHANGEOVER YEARS:The island of broken promises
When Alan Earnshaw visited the Isle of Wight in the 1950s, the island's lines were already under threat of rationalisation, but worse was yet to come. He looks back the island's colourful but chequered railway history.

DIGITAL PICTURES:
Getting it right Want to send digital pictures to Heritage Railway? In a cut-out-and-keep feature, David Lloyd-Jones explains how to take and submit images in a suitable format, while Robin Jones checks out a new £349 digital compact capable of producing stunning results.

BEYOND ALL REASON
In Heritage Railway issue 20, we highlighted the exploits of railway archaeologist Tony Batchelor, who has re-excavated components of Britishbuilt locomotives from rivers and sandbanks in New Zealand. White Bus Family Productions has now taken the story to the next stage, producing a video film of the treasures that lie underwater.

NEW GENERATION LINES: Cumbrian colliery comeback!
Volunteers at the Haig Colliery Mining Museum in Whitehaven plan to relay part of the former National Coal Board system, using at least one original engine.

HEADLINE NEWS
Forgotten Scottish steam fleet offered for sale; train driver dies in Romney level crossing smash; Morayshire invited to NYMR gala; four steam engines move to Great Central Railway (Nottingham); work starts on building new GWR Grange: council breakthrough in 'Barry Ten' impasse; prototype Deltic to launch new Barrow Hill depot and is the Welsh Highland our first metric heritage line?

NEWS
Severn Valley plans for Highley locomotive museum receives £3.3m Lottery boost: the 'Black Fives'that celebrated 35 years since the demise of BR main line steam; new Glyn Valley Tramway 'revival' scheme; the secret life of a Beattie well tank - part two; Foxcote Manor to mark Ruddington's tenth anniversary gala; Lottery gives £17.6m for London museum rebuild; Easter start for GWR Broadway extension; Beamish awarded £400k for replica Puffing Billy; vintage Southern electric stock faces eviction and scrapping; council structure plan boost for Rother Valley; Pontypool & Blaenavon in lease breakthrough; Amlwch revival stalled at the buffers; full Doncaster 150 report and how to capture SVR autumn steam gala action from the air, are among the latest offering of the widest coverage of the preservation scene.

PLATFORM
The pages where your views matter the most!

SHOWCASE
sponsored by London Camera Exchange Our E100 photographic voucher prize this month goes to Brian Dean for his panorama of LMS 4-6-2 No. 6201 Princess Elizabeth with the 'Cumbrian Mountain Express.'

MAIN LINE NEWS
compiled by Cedric Johns Southern Region introduces steam ban in heatwave response; Tangmere set to return with Class 8 rating; Flying Scotsman in air brake failure; extra trains booked for sell-out Portbury runs and mixed fortunes for 'Bournemouth Belle' Pullman are among the main stories in our definitive round-up.

MAIN LINE TOUR ITINERARY
Brian Sharpe's guide to steam and diesel tours.

INDUSTRIAL SCENE
Low-key opening for long-awaited Bowes extension.

DAVID MORGAN MBE - the man you can't ignore
New Government legislation for the national network could have produced horrific charges for preserved lines, reports David Morgan, chairman of the Heritage Railway Association.

OFF THE SHELF
The most unusual mass-produced Flying Scotsman model ever, tops our selection of new releases.

SCALE HERITAGE RAILWAY
Paul Appleton reviews Hornby's latest.

HERITAGE NET
Roger Melton visits websites devoted to the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.

UP AND RUNNING
Brian Sharpe's alphabetical listing of all standard, narrow and minimum gauge lines including all the latest openings, with dates of special events, details of driver training courses, wine and dine specials and locomotives in operation.