The Railway Magazine - April 2019
Headline News
Science Museum publishes operational strategy for National Collection, May start for LNER IETs, transport hub for Birmingham Moor Street, First Group buys Hitachi for East Coast open access operation, Electrification costs could be cut by half, Class 314s to head south for GOBLIN? .
On the cover
MAIN IMAGE: The Fifty Alliance's Nos. 50007 Hercules and 50049
Defiance were rolled out in GB Railfreight livery at Eastleigh Works on March 20. The locos will be usedfor stock moves and charters as required by GBRf's new Rail Services division.
INSET 1: Celebrating the humble SR commuter EMU.
INSET 2: Coaling Stages - the ultimate guide.
INSET 3: The Open Access story.
Track Record
70 Steam & Heritage
Black Prince withdrawn for repairs, ‘B1’ and ‘Caley’ tank for Gloucs-Warks gala, quality control issues for new-build ‘Patriot’, £100k required to complete ‘Duke’ by 2020, Swanage launches ‘T3’ restoration appeal.
76 Industrial
78 Steam Portfolio
80 Irish
82 Narrow Gauge
84 Heritage Trams
86 Metro
88 Network
92 Railtours
98 Classic Traction
102 World
107 Traction & Stock
Refurbished Class 333 debut, ScotRail hands back Class 365s, GBRf and DCR buy stored Class 60s, GA receives first 12-car ‘FLIRT’, TfW Class 769 deliveries begin.
110 Traction Portfolio
112 Stock Update
115 Operations
45 Up and Down Lines
46 Heritage Diary
Details of when Britain’s unique collection of heritage railways and railway museums are open.
54 Readers' Platform
58 Subscription Offer
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59 Meetings
64 Panorama
Our regular gallery of the best railway photography from around the world
Features
14 Towers of Strength
In the first of a two-part survey on steam-era coaling towers, Nick Pigott looks back at the landmark structures that once stood at more than 100 loco depots.
24 Back from the Brink
Gary Boyd-Hope explains how the West Somerset Railway's new management team plans to tackle the line's current problems and work towards a brighter future.
32 Access all Areas?
Open access passenger operations are a controversial topic both in the UK and Europe with strong feelings for and against, as Ben Jones discovers.
39 A Cinderella Story
From anonymous commuter train to star of the National Collection, Locomotion's newly restored '2-HAP' car tells an important part of the railway story, writes Nicola Fox.
48 Practice & Performance
Is it a bus? Is it a train? No, it's Supertram. John Heaton reports from South Yorkshire where tram-trains now share the tracks with heavy rail trains between Tinsley and Rotherham.