FEATURES:

GREAT SCOT! HOW THE LMS MET THE GRESLEY CHALLENGE - Faced with the might of the LNER's new Pacific locomotives in the mid-1920s, LMS chief mechanical engineer Sir Henry Fowler was charged with designing and building a challenger in double-quick time. And so the Royal Scot was born - surely one of the most hastily conceived express locomotive classes in history, but one which defied all the odds and became a much-admired stalwart of the West Coast Main Line for more than three decades. Geoff Courtney tracks the class's service history from its frantic beginnings to its demise in 1966, and the subsequent preservation of Nos 6100 and 6115, which are now both on the fast track to main line comebacks.

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: BRIGHTONa€ S BARKING FIVE! - The Bluebell Railway chalked up two notable firsts during its 9-13 November a€~Terriera€ gala. Not only were five of the lovable LBSCR 0-6-0Ts running on the line together for the first time in the heritage era, but it was the railwaya€ s first four-day special event, reports Robin Jones.

NEWS FOCUS SPECIAL: MOORE MILESTONES FOR BODMIN.. AND WADEBRIDGE! - Not many railways have been able to boast two major landmarks involving the restorations of a€~nativea€ locomotives within the space of a week. However, the pairing of the two surviving Beattie well tanks in steam for the first time in 44 years, and the official a€~second time rounda€ naming of Bulleid light Pacific No 34007 Wadebridge 61 years after the first occasion, saw the Bodmin & Wenford reach new heights, thanks to its major benefactor.

WHATa€ S LEFT OF.. THE STOCKTON & DARLINGTON RAILWAY? - There is more to the a€~othera€ S&D than just the well-known image of Locomotion No 1 hauling the worlda€ s first public passenger train in 1825. Some of the most important icons of Britaina€ s early railway heritage are to be found along its route, which once extended as far west as Penrith. Brian Sharpe explores the part of the North East where railway history was made.

BRING THEM IN FROM THE COLD! - Think of the contents of the National Railway Museum and most people will mention Mallard, Flying Scotsman and other pinnacles of the steam age. Comparatively few will talk of a Deltic, a shunter, or a multiple unit. However, diesel and electric traction in the National Collection is ignored at our peril, argues Ian R Smith.

THE CHANGEOVER YEARS: a€~TEDDY BEARSa€ IN THE WOODS - While many rural branches serving sparsely populated regions had either disappeared or were in their death throes by the mid-60s, the Severn & Wye Junction Railway was still holding its own with regular freight services that unintentionally provided a breathing space that allowed it to linger into the heritage era as the Dean Forest Railway. John Stretton, author of a Nostalgia Collection volume on the route, and Robin Jones look back at the latter days of steam and dieselisation on the branch, which once also boasted the first bridge over the Severn estuary.

WE BUILT A RAILWAY! - In a special feature to mark the 10th anniversary of one of the Forest of Deana€ s best-kept secrets, the 15in gauge steam-operated Perrygrove Railway, owner and operator Michael Crofts tells how he built it on a greenfield site with the help of his wife, Frances.


REGULARS:
HEADLINE NEWS - Heritage Railway Association awards for Severn Valley and Middleton railways and Maunsell Locomotive Society; National Railway Museum is poor relation of British state museums, and car driver in Romney Hythe & Dymchurch death crash pleads guilty.
NEWS: THE WIDEST COVERAGE OF THE UK PRESERVATION SCENE - Welsh Highland Railway flat crossing reinstalled over Cambrian Coast Line at Porthmadog; Rees pioneers green railway for Kielder Forest; fresh questions about Royal Scot - could it be The South Wales Borderer? Arsonists and squatters destroy rescued Somerset & Dorset coach pair; Gwili Railway pushes south at last; Boa€ ness & Kinneil runs first steam passenger train to Manuel; three Halls a€~firsta€ in Barrow Hill gala; Airfix kits to be made by Hornby; John Austin takes four top Railart 2006 places; East Lancashire Railway autumn gala in focus; Easter exodus arranged for trapped Brighton Museum stock; Matlock development sparks fresh Peak Rail push; Telford in bid for new extension; Bagnall Sir Tom to steam up new 2ft gauge Lakeland line; Yorkshire firm to build Austerity boilers; Great Central Railway coach rediscovered on Isle of Wight, and second Romanian locomotive for Welshpool & Llanfair.
INDUSTRIAL SCENE - A bid to rebuild Colonel Stephensa€ Snailbeach & District Railways.
PLATFORM - The pages where your views matter the most.
MAIN LINE NEWS compiled by Cedric Johns - Clan Line back on the main line; Flying Scotsman not back until 2008; Bittern a€~may steam before Christmasa€ ; Pitchford Hall goes solo to York and Tangmere saves the day as diesel fails.
MAIN LINE TOUR ITINERARY - Brian Sharpe's guide to steam and heritage modern traction tours.
RAILWAYANA with Geoff Courtney - a€~Talismana€ headboard in Sheffield sale, and other news from the auction scene.
CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE - Review of latest products for Yuletide.
SCALE HERITAGE RAILWAY - Bachmanna€ s new 00 gauge Fairburn tank is launched where else but at the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway, and Hornby upgrades Lima sixties Class 121 bubblecar with spectacular results.
FREE BINDER FOR HERITAGE RAILWAY! - Subscribe to Heritage Railway, Britaina€ s top preservation news magazine, and get a free binder in which to keep your 2007 copies!
UP AND RUNNING - Brian Sharpe's listing of operational standard, narrow and minimum gauge lines with dates of special events, details of driver training courses and locomotives in operation.