Backtrack

Backtrack, Britain's Leading Historical Railway Journal, covers all aspects of railway history from its earliest days through to more recent events up to around ten years before now including, early railway history from the 'pre-Stephenson' era, steam, diesel and electric locomotive history, railway company history, railway carriages and wagons, railway stations, railway ships, hotels & road vehicles, railway economic and social history, railway publicity and advertising. Backtrack's contributors include many of today's leading railway history writers. From the beginning the magazine has maintained a reputation for its production values and each issue contains a wealth of photographs reproduced to the highest standards, including a generous selection of historic colour. Published monthly, Backtrack is THE magazine for all who are interested in British railway history.

Editorial

DECEPTIVE IN APPEARANCE • In 1940 the Southern Railway, in anticipation of increased wartime freight traffic, agreed to the construction of 40 new 0-6-0 goods locomotives to a new design by O. V. S. Bulleid. The size and weight of the boiler meant that all unnecessary fittings had to be dispensed with to keep the overall weight down. Due to wartime shortages the boiler had to be lagged in an unconventional insulation material which was incapable of bearing a load so thin steel cladding sheets were carried independently of the boiler. The result must have made contemporary observers gasp on first sight but this ultra-austerity Q1 Class was actually rather good!

NEGLECT OF DUTY

THE STOCKTON & DARLINGTON RAILWAY RESTORING THE TIMOTHY HACKWORTH DEFICIT

TODMORDEN AND ITS RAILWAYS • DAVID JOY outlines the varying fortunes at a town on the Lancashire/Yorkshire border.

DISASTER AT LONGSIGHT ENGINE SHED

A PETTY TYRANNY? THE RAILWAY BEARD c1848-1880 • In a new subject for Backtrack, ANTHONY DAWSON considers these personal fashion statements – and how railway companies regarded them

NORTH BY NORTH EAST • The haulage of freight by steam locomotives, notably coal, has a long history in the North East of England, as we have seen. That tradition lasted until the autumn of 1967 when the last of the hard-working and durable 0-6-0 and 0-8-0 goods engines of the North Eastern Railway were withdrawn, but not before they had attractive the deserved attention of enthusiasts.

METROPOLITAN STEAM

BRITS ‘DOWN UNDER’ PART TWO BRITISH-BUILT LOCOMOTIVES ON THE NEW SOUTH WALES GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS

STOCKTON & DARLINGTON • STEPHEN POBERTS reflects on a 200th anniversary

LAST PROSPECTS OF WHITBY • The battle to save Whitby's railways was a particularly contentious one – but largely unsuccessful. Two of England's most scenic lines – from Scarborough to Whitby and from Malton to Grosmont – closed from 8th March 1965, now a remarkable 60 years ago.

LES BEET SOME ENGINES HE DROVE • BRUCE LAWS delves into the log books of a Colwick locomotive driver

THE CIE LOOKS FORWARD • Coras Iompair Eireann (CIE), the national railway company in the Republic of Ireland in the 1950s, was quicker off the mark than its mainland counterpart when it came to the large-scale introduction of diesel traction. British Railways announced its Modernisation Plan in November 1955; CIE had placed an order for the supply of 94 diesel-electric locomotives eighteen months earlier, in May 1954. This order would come in two parts, 60 Co-Co locomotives of 1,200hp (‘A’ class) and 34 Bo-Bos of 550hp (‘C’ class). The engines for the new locomotives would come from Crossley Brothers of Manchester, the mechanical parts from Metropolitan Cammell and the electrical equipment from Metropolitan-Vickers. The first locomotive, Co-Co No.A1, arrived in Dublin in July1955 but, as with many of the types included in the BR...