CONTENTS  

FEATURES  

15 A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE 

Using virtual reality to train rail engineers   

 
16 MANCHESTER VICTORIA 175 

The station celebrates a major milestone 

22 WESTERN DIESELS  

60 years of change on the Western Region 

28 0-60: CLASS 444 

Third rail but second rate?  

30 THEN & NOW: MILTON KEYNES  

Spot the difference over 10 years  

REGULARS  

26 SUBSCRIPTION OFFERS 

The best ways to get Rail express every month 

31 TIME TRAVELLER  

News headlines from decades past 

32 REVIEWS & EXPRESS MAILBAG 

More on First Generation DMUs; plus a selection of new books  

NEWS  

8 HEADLINE NEWS 

Could there be a return to the ‘Big Four’?; class 50s commemorate Waverley Route closure; DB’s share of freight continues to fall; Freightliner to take over Mendip Rail stone trains; Colas sells locos to Beacon Rail; Cumbrian ‘Tractors’ bow out; Damaged tram trains laid up; South East drives rail growth; bi-modes for ROG postal trains; Barking Riverside contract awarded.  

71 LU WORLD  

Finances affect Piccadilly line upgrade 

72 RAILTOURS 

‘Deltic’ to visit Harrogate and Cleethorpes  

74 PRESERVATION  

No. 47712 will return to the main line; ‘Whistler’ suffers boiler problems; IDRS acquires EM2 bogies; East lancs Railway Sulzer even kicks off 2019 gala season.  

79 POWER BY HOUR 

Preparations for TPE ‘68s’ continue  

80 POWERSCENE  

Notable workings, Name Game and Spectrum  

90 UNITS 

Northern receives more units from ScotRail.  

93 SHUNTERS 

NS ‘08s’ still proving useful.  

94 COACHES  

GWR hands back more HSTs.  

95 WAGONS  

New livery for Freightliner MWAs 

96 IRISH ANGLE 

‘Santa Specials’ provide traction variety