Contents
December 2016. No. 1,389. Vol 162. A journal of record since 1897.

Headline News
Seven dead in Croydon tram derailment; Vintage Trains
to apply for own passenger operating licence; HS2
Phase 2 route revealed; 2017 preserved line visits for
Flying Scotsman announced; Hull electrification scheme
scrapped; Seaburn hotel Pullmans up for sale; Britain's
railways in Remembrance Day tribute; main line tests for
VivaRail DMU; first Eurostar set scrapped.
 
On the cover
MAIN IMAGE: Tyseley's
double-chimney 'Castle'
No. 5043 Earl of Mount
Edgcumbe emerges from a
very frosty Milford tunnel
near Belper, Derbyshire,
with Vintage Trains'
'Christmas White Rose '
charter from Tyseley to York
on December 13, 2014.
BOB GREEN

INSET 1: Remembering the
Ian Allan Trains Annuals
and Locospotters' Annuals
- see p30.

INSET 2: Philip D Hawkins wit
his rendition of 'A1'
No. 60156 Great Central - see p14.

INSET 3: Class 68 No. 68010 with a Chiltern service at
King’s Sutton on July 19 - see p22. PAUL A BIGGS

Track Record The Railway Magazine’s monthly news digest

62 Steam & Heritage
LMS red will be new 'Patriot's' first livery; 'Crab'
impresses at Severn Valley gala; NELPG celebrates 50
years in the business; flying start for Defiant appeal;
'Grange' steals the show during Birmingham debut.
68 Industrial Steam
71 Steam Portfolio
72 Irish News
74 Network
£10million pledged for Dawlish sea wall; improvements
planned for Northern area; Stone foot crossing closed.
78 Classic Traction
Class 50 Alliance buys Hercules; first passenger work for
SDR Class 24; last chance for Middleton's Olive; Briddon
engines for Orient Express work... almost.
82 Metro
84 Traction & Stock
Class 387/3s enter service with c2c; refurbished
Northern Class 158 unveiled; Class 800s in ERTMS tests;
production of TransPennine carriages begins.
88 Traction Portfolio
90 Narrow Gauge
Leighton Buzzard station formally opened; Derbyshire
line under threat; new Mail Rail trains delivered.
93 Railtours
95 Railtours Portfolio
96 World
99 Operations
Our round-up of news from the train- and freight-
operating companies.

Regulars
12 Multiple Aspects
With Lord Berkeley.
12 Railways in Parliament
28 Subscription Offer
Subscribe today to receive your monthly copies of
The Railway Magazine and save more than 22%.
42 Readers’ Platform
Your thoughts on the topics that matter to you.
52 Meetings
Railway society meetings near you – all the details.
57 Panorama
Our monthly gallery of the best railway photography.
60 From The RM Archives
What The RM was reporting 20, 50 and 100 years ago.
106 Heritage Diary
Details of when heritage railways and centres are open.
114 Prize Crossword and Where Is It?

Features
14 The Railway Art of Philip D Hawkins
Phil Hawkins is generally regarded as one of the
finest railway artists of his generation, whose
attention to detail has produced some of the genre’s
most memorable works. Nick Pigott went to meet
him to discuss his life, work and railway influences.

22 Which way to Birmingham?
This month's Practice & Performance sees John
Heaton explore the three main options for passengers
travelling between London and Birmingham, sampling
what each has to offer, and ultimately deciding which
he believes is the best option.

30 The Christmas gifts that kept on giving
To mark the 70th anniversary of a publishing favourite,
Nick Pigott turns a nostalgic eye to the Ian Allan Trains
Annual and Locospotters' Annual, which were once a
staple feature found beneath many a tree on Christmas
morning.

40 Will the 'Flyer' be grounded?
The threat of conversion into a guided busway hangs
over the Watford Junction to St Albans Abbey branch,
but resistance to the scheme is growing. Peter Brown
takes a look at the proposals to see if there's still hope
for the 6½-mile line.

44 Putting a Peckett in the picture
Peckett 0-6-0ST Ackton Hall No. 3 has not had the
best of luck so far during preservation, but the
Foxfield Railway hopes to change that. Gary Boyd-
Hope examines the railway's plans for the loco and
its wider role within a pre-NCB heritage train.

50 The Spirit's Bridge
Christmas is traditionally a time for spooky tales,
so this month we bring you our annual ghost story.
So sit back, dim the lights and allow Neil Taylor
to regale you with the curious tale of the railway
bridge and the phantom that saved a girl's life.